Traditional botvinya
Perfect for lunch. Botvinya is a traditional Russian cold soup made with rye kvass, beet greens broth, and red fish. Botvinya was traditionally served with finely chopped ice in a separate bowl. Refreshing during hot summer days, botvinya is lighter than okroshka. The soup gets its piquant flavor from horseradish, lemon, and mustard. Use sturgeon, sevruga, salmon, or a combination of these fish. The fish component of botvinya can be varied or substituted with crayfish or shrimp.
Preparation: In a saucepan, lightly boil beet greens and their roots separately until tender. Blanch sorrel leaves for no more than 3 minutes. Rinse nettle under cold water, pour boiling water over it, then drain in a colander. Finely chop beet greens, sorrel, and nettle with a sharp knife. Do not grind the greens in a meat grinder or blender! Add finely chopped beet roots and minced green onions, season with salt to taste. Dice cucumber into small cubes and set aside. Mix rye and white kvass. Combine lemon zest and juice with sugar, then add mustard and grated horseradish. Pour in a little kvass and stir. Then add the remaining kvass. Combine the kvass mixture with the greens mixture, add cucumber, and chill in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes. During this time, the greens should become tangy.
Prepare the fish for botvinya. Place fish pieces into a saucepan with boiling salted water. Add onion, dill, black pepper, and bay leaf. Cook salted and smoked fish for 2–3 minutes, raw fish for 10 minutes.
Serve botvinya with fresh rye bread either as a first course or as a liquid appetizer before the main side dish, in three separate bowls: one with botvinya, one with fish, and one with ice cubes. Botvinya should remain cold throughout, so add ice cubes periodically. Serve with fresh herbs and sour cream.
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