From the Strib's archives: Recipes from the Lincoln Del

Plans for a long-promised but never-materialized Lincoln Del cookbook are once again starting to percolate (find the story here). In the meantime, a scan through the Star Tribune's archives have revealed a pair of recipes from the classic deli and bakery.

In 2000, within weeks of the end of the Lincoln Del --- the restaurant's roots reached back to 1935 -- a number of diners contacted the Star Tribune's Restaurant Requests column (a forum for tracking down recipes to favorite restaurant dishes), asking if the Del would share its cabbage borscht recipe. (That's the Del's fully-loaded bakery case, above, in a 1978 Star Tribune file photo).

Taste staffer Diane Osby tracked down a recipe that had been published in the February 2000 issue of Midwest Living magazine, and the recipe appeared in the June 8, 2000 edition of Taste.

Turns out, there was a hitch.

A few weeks later, Lincoln Del owner Danny Berenberg (who at the time was talking about producing his own Lincoln Del cookbook) revealed the following to Star Tribune gossip columnist CJ:

"I was at my mother's house for dinner the other night and [she] said, 'You know that article in the Star Tribune about the borscht? That isn't the right borscht recipe.' Berenberg said he tried to explain. 'Yeah, but that is an adaptation done by Midwest Living [magazine].' She said, 'But the ingredients aren't right.' This constant argument about are you really honest [with the] recipe, I think the way we are going to solve that is: In the cookbook we are going to give both -- an adaption you can make at home and the bulk one -- it makes 42 gallons."

In short, take this recipe with a grain of sour salt.

LINCOLN DEL'S MEATY CABBAGE BORSCHT

Serves 6 to 8.

Note: Sour salt is also called citric acid, and is often found in the supermarket's kosher section.

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 lb. beef shank bones

1/2 lb. beef bottom round steak

5 c. beef stock or broth

2 medium tomatoes, cut up

2/3 c. ketchup

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. sour salt (see Note)

2 lb. cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

Coat a 4-quart Dutch oven or pot with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium heat, brown shank bones and round steak in a pot. Carefully add beef stock, tomatoes, ketchup, sugar and sour salt to meat in pot; stir. Bring to stock to a boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 1 hour. Remove meat and bones from the mixture; cool slightly. Remove and discard the skin, bones and any fat from the meat. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the pot. Stir in the cabbage. Bring the mixture to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender. Ladle the borscht into warm soup bowls.

A second Lincoln Del recipe (the restaurant's Bloomington location is shown above in a Star Tribune file photo, taken a few days before the restaurant closed in 2000) popped up in Nov. 27, 2003. As part of their research for their book "Minnesota Eats Out," authors Linda and Kathryn Strand Koutsky, tracked down recipes from the state's legacy restaurants, including the Del. "[Lincoln Del owner Danny Berenberg] provided the recipe of his mother, Theresa, which was used at the Del, in its several locations," wrote Star Tribune staff writer Peg Meier. "There a quart of the Del's beet borscht was added to 4 gallons of salad dressing. For the home version, canned beet borscht or canned diced beets can be substituted. To retain a chunky texture for the dressing, the ingredients are mashed together rather than blended."

LINCOLN DEL'S THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

Makes 5 cups.

4 c. (1 quart) Miracle Whip salad dressing

1/4 c. chili sauce

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. beet borscht (or canned beets with some juice)

3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

1/4 c. green pepper, finely diced

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine salad dressing with chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, borscht (or canned beets), eggs and green pepper. Use a potato masher to combine the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.