When Green Looks Good

Yesterday morning I woke up with a grand plan to cook something I haven't made in a long time: Shavleviy Borscht (Sorrel Borcht). Unfortunately, my husband had let his brother borrow his car and so he had to take mine to work. I was stuck at home trying to figure out what I could do with whatever I had in the fridge. I ended up making chicken broth, figuring that I could run to the grocery store as soon as I got my car back and finish making the borscht. That didn't happen until late evening as we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and drove down to Alki for a stroll. The stroll didn't happen either. My daughter insisted on playing in the sand, which was fine. My husband and I lounged on the beach, watched the waves, and let our daughter practice sharing her toys with some new friends. With our busy schedules (well, not mine, as I'm on summer break) we rarely get to get out like this so it was a treat. I still wanted to make my borscht so as soon as we got home I drove to Safeway and bought my ingredients and made a delicious pot of it. And now I don't have to cook anything at all today because there is a big pot of borscht sitting in my fridge right now!

Now, this borscht is usually made with sorrel leaves, which taste sour, but since I can't access the sorrel my mother has in her garden because she moved all the way to Missouri, I use spinach and lemon juice as substitutes and it still tastes pretty darn good. I've never seen sorrel in a grocery store, so if any of you ever find one that sells it, do let me know.

Very Easy Chicken Broth

2 carrots, roughly chopped into large chucks

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 sticks celery, roughly chopped

2 chicken drumsticks

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. ground pepper

2 tsp. kosher salt

3 quarts water

1. Combine ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a slow simmer on medium-high heat (don't let it boil). Then, reduce heat to medium low, and let slowly cook for 30 minutes.

2. Using tongs, remove the drumsticks. Let cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bone and shred with fingers or a fork. Reserve for later use in soup or borcht.

3. Strain the broth through a sieve. Discard cooked vegetables. This will make about 2 1/2 quarts of broth. Refrigerate until needed.

I didn't have celery at home so I went ahead and made the broth without it and it turned out just fine. I just like to use celery because it gives it a richer flavor.

Green Spinach Borscht

2 1/2 quarts Chicken Broth (see recipe above)

cooked chicken, shredded (use reserved meat)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped small

3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

5 oz. spinach, stemmed and chopped

4 eggs

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

2 tbsp. lemon juice, from half lemon

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground pepper

1. In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add chopped onion and saute until onions are carmelized. Set aside.

2. Heat broth at medium high heat until steamy, but not simmering. Add potatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook until tender.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. When potatoes are tender, holding the egg bowl in one hand, slowly pour in the eggs, while stirring the broth with your other hand. The eggs will have a feathery texture.

4. Add the spinach, carmelized onions, chicken, parsely, dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir. Let cook for another 10 minutes until all flavors blend. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a nice chunk of rustic bread.

Variation: Instead of pouring the eggs raw into the broth, you can also boil them separately, then chop the hard boiled eggs into small chunks and add them last. Tastes just as good, but gives a different texture. That is how my mom makes this borscht. My husband likes the delicate feathery texture of the eggs so I cook it like that to make him happy.