Squid needs to be cooked quickly or else a long enough time to make it tender. I’m in the latter camp generally, so my technique for this recipe might differ from others you will find. The recipe is extremely foregiving, so don’t stress too much about exact quantities.

Chop finely,

• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic

In a heavy pot (2-3 quarts), over a medium heat, add

• 2 TBL olive oil

and when the oil is heated, add add the onion and garlic. Let the mixture cook until they are tender and fragrant, but do not let them brown! While the mixture is cooking, cut up

• 1½ lbs cleaned squid

I like to use a mix of tentacles and bodies and I also prefer pieces that are bite-sized, but not rings. Cut it as you prefer but be sure to rinse it off to remove any sand. When the onions are tender, add the squid and let it saute for a few minutes. It will start to give off some liquid. Add

• 1 bay leaf
• 1½ cups of canned tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper (or red pepper flakes if you prefer), to taste

lower the heat (but maintain a gentle simmer) and cover the pot. When the mixture has cooked for about 20 minutes, add

• 1⅓ cups rice
• 2½ cups of water

Note that you can check the salinity at this point and if you think it needs a bit more salt, add to taste. Cover the pot for about 18-20 minutes, checking that the rice is cooked.

While you’re waiting, pluck and save all the leaves from

• a few stems of cilantro

When the rice is cooked, the mixture will still be a bit soupy. Check the salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf and dd the cilantro leaves, stirring them in. Serve in bowls. A bit of crusty bread and a glass of wine will be appreciated by your guests.

You can do this in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender. I get the best results using two of those, but if you’re not as fixated on getting a smooth, seed-free soup as I am, choose any one and you’ll be very happy.

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Clean and cut in half (on the “equator”)

• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, like beefsteaks

Season to taste with

• salt
• finely ground black pepper

And place on an oiled baking tray ♦ATTN that has closed sides, such as a sheet pan. Place in the 375º F oven and let bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a

• 4-inch piece of baguette or 2 slices of a rustic white bread

in a large drinking glass or a soup bowl. Add tepid water and soak the bread for 5+ minutes to it is totally soft; if it has a hard crust, it might take longer. Squeeze out the bread gently if it’s really gotten soggy.

The original recipe calls for 2 cloves of raw garlic, which are to be chopped up a bit and then added to the blender. With the raw garlic, I found that one clove was enough. I have decided that I prefer the taste of cooked garlic, so what I do is as follows:

In a small saucepan, place

• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

and over a medium-low heat, let the garlic cook until it starts to show some color and the oil is fragrant. Let cool.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool enough that they are easily handled. Working over the tray or the food processor bowl (so you don’t lose the juice) ♦ATTN remove the peels and cores, discarding them. If you leave on the peels you are going to probably end up with an unpleasant collection of rolled tomato skins throughout the soup. Ew!

Run the food processor to break up the pulp fully, run it through a strainer so you’re mostly left with the seeds. Working in batches, return the pulp to the blender (or food processor), and add the oil, garlic (raw or cooked, to taste), soaked bread and

• 1 TBL sherry vinegar

Run for a minute to let the mixture emulsify completely. Check the seasoning, as it will probably need more vinegar, salt and/or pepper. As it is usually served chilled, I suggest you adjust the seasoning once it is fully chilled rather than while it is still at room temperature.

You can serve this at room temperature or chilled. I’ve even had it heated up (!) although that doesn’t work well with the raw garlic version. Serve garnished with sliced Serrano ham, grated hard-boiled eggs and/or bits of basil leaves.

Peel and cut into largish dice (⅜- to ½-inch on a side)

• 2 bunches of beets

Measure the volume (about 6 cups in my case) and place in a soup pot. Note: the beets in this batch weighed about 800g after peeling. Add

• 1 medium onion (150g), minced finely
• 6 cups water (actually, it should match the volume of the beets)

Bring to a boil and then start a timer for 15 minutes. Check whether the beets are cooked; they should be soft enough to chew but not mushy. If they need a few more minutes, cook a little longer. Turn off the heat and remove any scum that collects at the top of the pot. Add

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBL sugar
• ¼ tsp sour salt (citric acid) or 3-4 TBL of lemon juice

Let stand to cool for 30 minutes. Place half the beets and some liquid in the jar of a blender. Run until fully pureed. Return to pot. In the jar of the blender combine

• ¾ cup (roughly) sour cream

about a cup of liquid from the soup. Process until smooth and pour back into soup pot. Stir and adjust any seasonings as needed. Chill in refrigerator.

♦ATTN My mother would make borscht (with a slightly different recipe) and only add the sour cream just before serving. This allowed her to freeze the soup and serve it at a later time. I do it my way because the sour cream blends thoroughly in the blender and it’s already in use when I’m making the soup. I haven’t frozen this, but I can’t imagine any reason it would fail.

My mother would garnish this with diced boiled potatoes, diced cucumber, minced raw garlic or diced hard-boiled eggs. The only one of these I ever liked was the minced raw garlic.