Violet gave a presentation on Estonian Winter Holidays this week, and needed to share either a song, a recipe or a game with the class. I immediately suggested Rosolje, because well, it’s pink! And an unforgettable part of my childhood.
I let it slip to Violet that I thought it was weird and gross when I was little, so she took that cue and didn’t really eat much of it, but she proudly came home to tell me that many of the kids had seconds and thirds!
Here is the recipe for Rosolje (pronounced row-sow-lyee-ah) I got from this Estonian Food Blog. We made it without pickled herring for the class in case that was too weird, and it tasted great – a good vegetarian option.
She made Nani proud!
You can also add eggs, sausage, mustard or carrots, but we didn’t.
Rosolje
2 cups boiled beets, cubed
2 cups boiled potatoes, cubed
2 cups apples, cubed (Granny Smith are the way to go)
1 cup dill pickles, diced
1 cup chopped pickled herring
1 cup sour cream
3 green onion stalks, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish
Mix everything together in a bowl and serve cold! It’s that easy. And it is delicious.