vgordin

@blether... what do you do with the fennel?

Both of those threads look great. I'll have to take a closer look after I get home from work. In case anyone else was also looking for suggestions a friend just e-mailed me this http://www.soupsong.com/icold.html.

Can I have the recipe for your carrot ginger soup?? That sounds fantastic, and I have some ginger left over from infusing vodka over the weekend.

Didn't see that. Gonna have to give it a closer look after work.

I'm not sure what "Korean" sauce entails. Is this what you had in mind? http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/korea/cold-cucumber-soup.html#axzz0vSJ8Kyy5

Hey all... I'm running out of cold soup ideas. Cold borscht, gazpacho, and cucumber+dill+yogurt are getting old. Any suggestions on cold soups during the summer? The help is very much appreciated. -vgordin

Dunno how it is the rest of the country, but the Buckeye state defines "locally grown" as in Ohio or any state with which it shares a border.

Three things that I have found greatly improve my stock... 1. Zapravka - At the end of the summer, we make something called "zapravka" (which means "seasoning" in Russian) from extra tomatoes we grow. Its equal parts by weight tomatoes, carrots, parsley, and salt. A few pulses in the food processor and it goes in into jars in the freezer until months later when its time to make stock. I use a tablespoon or two in place of salt. 2. The brulee onion - I split two small onions in half and char the cut sides. I then throw that in with the stock. 3. Temp - this has been mentioned upthread, but my grandma was pretty emphatic about not letting it get to a rolling boil. A low simmer is how I would best describe what I do. This is of course all completely subjective as I have no idea how good your current stock is. I do know however that these are the things that have worked for me. -Vadim

Pickled vegetables are an interesting idea.

I made pesto out of home-grown arugula that came out on the bitter side of things (my own fault for not blanching). I used it with great results in this sandwich prior to hitting the library (I'm studying for the bar). Ingredients were some mayo on one side and the aforementioned pesto on the other. Fried egg and home-made galvax (sans dill) in between. The bread was remains of an olive ciabatta. The richness of the salmon, egg, and mayo balanced very well with the olives and pesto. Would definitely make this again. -Vadim

Didn't see this thread before I started this thread about my Benriner adventures. Beets are one of my favorite root vegetables. Here is a shot of the RAW beet salad I made today. My family has always roasted (I guess 'steam' is the better term per comments upthread) beets on the grill. After we're done cooking whatever the main event was, we wrap beets in foil and leave them on the grates for about an hour. They also do well in the microwave the same way one would make a baked potato. Here's my family's recipe for Summer Borscht. While the below is precise in its execution, its certainly not accurate by any stretch. In the interest of reproducibility, I'll take note of quantities next time I make this and post here. 1. Roast 2 or 3 beets per above. Clean, and then grate. 2. Place the grated beets as well as coarsely chopped beet greens into a pot. 3. Cover everything in boiling water and let steep until it reaches room temp. 4. Refrigerate overnight. 5. The next day (things get fairly scientific here), add salt until it tastes just a bit salty, sugar until it tastes just a bit sweet, and then lemon juice until it tastes a bit sour. 6. Chop up scallions, cucumbers, and dill and distribute evenly among four bowls. 7. Ladle soup on top, followed by a tablespoon of thick sour cream. 8. Enjoy!!

I had some fun with my new Benriner slicer today. Combined raw beets, carrots, mcintosh apples, parsley, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and salt for a tasty summer salad. (I made a salad of raw zuccini, olive oil, and cilantro yesterday but alas have no pictures of that to share) Now I'm wondering... what do you make with your slicers, and what would you suggest I try next with mine? -Vadim

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salo_%28food%29

In Russian cooking lamb (or any other red meat) fat is called Salo. It very flavorful and could have been used in a number of dishes. The first thing that comes to mind rendering it in some sort of pilaf. Also, you could always do a confit of lamb. Here's another interesting thought that involves salting Pork Salo. Original http://www.delaysam.ru/kulinariya/kulinariya34.html Google Translation http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.delaysam.ru%2Fkulinariya%2Fkulinariya34.html