Having a go and letting you know; Latvia; pink and beautiful, even when I make it.
20 Nov 2021
Dear LPG,
I have to say that when I decided to throw my hat into the Latvian celebratory ‘ring’ so to speak, the idea of producing a bowl of cold soup in November was both intriguing and bewildering in equal measure, but it did look simple and the fact that it is served cold led me to think that it had to be an easy recipe.
…and it was, but I could not get any Kefir and did not really understand what it was until Google told me it was goats milk. I am not a fan and was then fairly confused about what I was really attempting to make. I cheated and looked at a video which hinted that Greek yogurt would do, so I got some of that instead. Then there was the question of ‘Pasteurised beets’. I went into four shops and even though the jars I found were not called ‘pickled’ they all tasted that way to me, leaving me worried about the success of mixing any sort of milk with a vinegar-based product.
I must admit to being a little concerned about adding the potatoes and drew the line at a cold soup which included cold meat albeit cold cooked meat, (I left the salami and chicken breast out). Having chopped and mixed everything else it looked a bit lumpy, so I put the lot in my food processor and the result was smooth and the same beautiful colour as the version in the picture.
My tasters thought that they were in for a plate of something sweet but even those who, like me, are not that keen on beetroot were impressed.
One further note… it is a really good idea to remember just how difficult it is to get beetroot juice off your work surfaces (it will never come out of my dishcloth!)
Anyway, now to December and, while Christmas will be the celebration on our minds, let us not forget that Finland has a celebration just a little earlier on December 6th. I thought that a nice warm pie would provide some comfort and have chosen to offer my version of their famous Karelian pie in an attempt to recognise their independence.
I will tell you that I have already taken a good look at the recipe video, and it all seems quite simple, so my question is the same as ever. What could possibly go wrong?
CB, Lewisham.
Just in case you would like to forecast the answer to CB’s Finnish question she offers the following…
