vegetable stock
 beets
4 ozSwiss chard (or beet greens or sorrel)
 white vinegar
2 cupbuttermilk (or 1 cup sour cream)
1 clovegarlic
 dash of salt
 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
 veal / beef
1 tbspfresh chives
1 tbspfresh dill

Cut the beets into thin strips (julienne). Bring the stock to boil (with beets and greens in it) and let boil for 1–2 minutes, adding vinegar to taste. Let cool a bit. Add buttermilk or sour cream and mix well (perform standard sour cream mixing technique). Add garlic and salt. Add cucumbers, veal, and eggs. Garnish with dill and chives. Chill for a few hours.

For the meat, allow 2-4oz per person. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and brown on high heat in a small pan using ∼1 tbsp butter or oil. Deglaze the pan (∼1 cup water—maybe red wine?) and pour the liquid over the meat. Bring to a boil, cut the heat down to low, and simmer, 45–60min for veal, 60–90min for beef. Cube.

You can substitute Maneschewitz beet borscht for the stock and beets.

(Recipe courtesy of Tamara Duvall.)