Beet and Potato Borscht

The addition of potatoes to this traditional dish creates a more robust version for cool weather meals. It’s a staple, eaten hot, in Ukraine and Russia, but it’s also popular in other Eastern European countries. Another borscht, eaten cold, is prepared differently.

Start to finish: 1 hour

Servings: 6 to 8

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large yellow onions, chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled and grated

4 medium beets, peeled and grated

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 cup orange juice

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, more or less to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot, heat over medium. Add the onion and saute until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the sugar, salt and pepper.

Add enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

If soup is too thick, add a bit more water. Season with sugar, salt and pepper, then simmer for another 5 minutes.

(Recipe from Nava Atlas’ ``Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons,’’ Amberwood Press)

Lenten Almond Cakes

These chewy, nutty cakes are a traditional Maltese sweet served during Lent. Kwarezimal refers to quadragesima, a Latin term that means the ``fortieth,’’ or Lent.

KWAREZIMAL (Lenten Almond Cakes)

Start to finish: 45 minutes (20 minutes active)

Makes 12 cakes

2 cup blanched almonds (whole, slivered or chopped)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Zest of 2 oranges

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lightly chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the almonds on a baking sheet and place in the oven to toast for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest.

When the almonds are done, remove them from the oven and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until the almonds are coarsely ground. Add the almonds to the flour mixture.

Add the water and mix to form a very stiff dough. Add additional flour or water to get a tacky, but not sticky, dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead several times.

Form the dough into a log, then flatten to form a 6-by-18-inch rectangle. Use a knife to cut the rectangle into 1 1/2-by-6-inch bars. Carefully transfer the bars to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch between them.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until just lightly browned at the edges and still tender. Cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pistachios.