Botvinia

This recipe is one of the variants of making okroshka. Perfect for a hot summer day. Nowadays, botvinia is prepared quite rarely, but it used to be the queen of cold soups. The name of the dish comes from the word 'botva' which means leaves. In the old days, botvinia was made from beet leaves, nettles, and other edible root vegetables. Still, try to cook this light and refreshing dish, you will be surprised by the unique combination of ingredients.

Fish

10.5 oz (any)

Spinach

7 oz

Sorrel

7 oz

Cucumbers

3 pcs (8.8 oz)

Green onions

1.8 oz

Dill

1.8 oz

Sugar

1 tsp

Salt

1-2 tsp

Mustard

1 tsp

Kvass

6 cups

Horseradish

1 tbsp (canned)

To prepare botvinia, wash the fish, if necessary, peel it, pour 4 cups of water, add salt, and cook for 30-40 minutes over low heat with a lid on. Remove the fish, let it cool, and cut it into pieces.

Any fish can be used for botvinia (I used cod), you can also add crayfish or crab meat if desired.

Wash the spinach and sorrel, put them in a pot, cover with water (enough to cover the leaves), and cook for 5 minutes. Then drain the water, blend the mixture until smooth, and let it cool.

Dice the cucumbers into small cubes. Finely chop the green onions and dill.

Add sugar, salt, mustard, horseradish to the spinach and sorrel puree, mix well, dilute with kvass. Add the prepared cucumbers, green onions, and dill.