Things I Love: Sour Cream (and a great way to use it)

June 24, 2016

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On this dreary Brexit morning, it seems necessary to find reasons to rejoice.

It’s a little thing, but when I opened this container of Sidehill Farm sour cream (new to me), I discovered a remarkable substance.  It is unlike any sour cream I’ve encountered in the past.  Almost yellow, it has a rich full lively flavor; you think of green meadows filled with spring flowers.  Piled onto the just-picked strawberries I bought at the farmstead down the road, it made me happy to be alive.

Later, I think, I’ll make this Borscht Salad.  It’s the perfect vehicle for great sour cream.

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Borscht Salad (adapted from a Fergus Henderson recipe)

Shopping list: 3 beets, ½ small red cabbage, 1 green apple, 1 orange, sour cream

Staples: 1/2 red onion, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt.

Serves 6.

Peel 3 raw beets and grate them.  (You might want to use rubber gloves, or your hands will be magenta for quite a while.)  Peel and grate a green apple and stir that into the beets.

Slice half a small red cabbage as thinly as you can. Do the same with a small red onion. Toss them with the beet/apple mixture.

Squeeze an orange and measure out 2 tablespoons of juice. Mix it with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto 6 plates and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

 

 

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8 Comments

  • Liz says:

    That salad was the first thing I made out of My Kitchen Year. I knew I’d love it, being Jewish and a borscht lover, but I was thrilled at how much everyone else enjoyed it. Now if I could just find this amazing sour cream…
    Thanks for the recipe.

  • Stacia says:

    They also make a wonderful whole milk yogurt!

  • JoDee says:

    I’ve never had this before can’t wait to make it!

  • Brenda Oswalt says:

    Has anyone made this interesting “raw beet & cabbage” salad yet?
    Just wondered if you liked it.

  • Linda Roccuzzo Gardner says:

    Ruth: my mother made a beat salad very similar. She was an amazing cook as you know and sour cream was a staple in our home. Can’t wait to locate Sidehill Farm! Your old Shore Front Park friend, Linda

  • admin says:

    Hi Linda,

    Your mother was SUCH a great cook. I especially remember her baked goods; really superb. I always loved coming over to your house; there was not only great food, but so much love. And I remember your Dad saying, “Hide the food!” every time I walked in the door.

  • jane vile says:

    I made this salad last night, didn`t have oranges,used mandarins instead and as I am dairy free at the mo swapped the sour cream for coconut yoghurt. Spectacular! Best salad I have eaten for a while. Thankyou for the inspiration. I love reading your blog every morning here in Aotearoa.

  • SuzannePerry says:

    Hi Ruth!
    I made your beet salad tonight and it was delicious!!! I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I substituted green onions for the red, Meyer lemon for the orange, and a red apple for a green one.
    I am reading your new book and enjoying it immensely. Thanks!

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