Beetroot Soup

Thanks again to Holly for putting together this seasonal recipe. Hope you enjoy cooking (and eating!) it. To find Holly’s other seasonal recipes click here.

The choice for November is Beetroot soup.

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As November draws to a close I present to you this month’s seasonable vegetable, the marvellous, jewel toned beetroot. I love to eat soup in the colder autumn and winter months and I think beetroot has a lovely sweet, earthy flavour that comes across in this warming bowlful. The other vegetables bolster the soup but don’t detract from the wonderful red colour produced by the beet. Ben and I had ours with a little cheese, and a good grinding of extra pepper, but I think a dollop of crème fraiche or perhaps some yoghurt would also work very well.

Makes two good sized portions.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 carrots

1 large beetroot

1 onion

1 large potato

1 garlic clove

salt

black pepper

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon thyme

800 ml vegetable or chicken stock

1. Dice the onion, carrots, beetroot and potato and finely chop the garlic cloves. In a saucepan add the oil and butter on a medium heat and when hot add the onion. Allow to cook for a few minutes so that it is just starting to go soft before adding the garlic. A few minutes later add the rest of the vegetables, the herbs and the salt and pepper.
2. Sauté the vegetables for 5-10 minutes before adding the stock and then bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat so the mixture is simmering and cook for 15-20 minutes. Then, blend to your desired consistency, adding more water if you like a thinner soup, before putting back on the heat for 5 minutes.
3. Once hot serve with a garnish of your choice and some nice bread.