Summer Borscht

This may not be somma borscht exactly like Grandma made. She probably flavoured her borscht with sour cream and whey from her larder, stocked with all manner of fresh dairy from her milking cows. Not having a larder or a milking cow, I recreate this tangy element with buttermilk from the grocery store. It’s somma borscht like Mom made. That’s still pretty darn good.

Ingredients

1. 1 smoked ham bone with some meat left on it ina large pot

2. Just enough water in the pot to cover the bone

3. 10 cups cubed potatoes

4. 2 yellow onions, chopped

5. 1 - 2 tablespoons salt

6. 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder

7. a handful fresh or frozen parsley

8. a handful fresh or frozen dill

9. 2 handfuls fresh or frozen sorrel, if you have it

10. 1 quart buttermilk

11. 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Bring the meaty bone to a boil. Lower heat and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer for an hour or until the meat easily comes off the bone with a fork.

2. Add all remaining ingredients to the pot except buttermilk and cream. Cook until potatoes are tender.

3. If smooth, non-curdled buttermilk and cream are important to you, do the following: scoop a small amount of soup from the pot and add a little buttermilk and cream to it. Mix and pour it back into the pot. Repeat this step until all the buttermilk and cream are incorporated in the soup. If you don’t care about curdling, just dump it all into the pot at once.

4. Bring soup back to a boil, then remove from heat. You’re ready to eat!

For more on the Mennonite link to summer borscht, scroll my blog post, “In the Wintertime”. It’s about halfway down.