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Beetroot soup

March 25, 2013 by Katie Bryson

Beetroot soup and plates full of pierogi - photo by Ren Behan

Beetroot soup and plates laden with pierogi – photo by Ren Behan

I went on a tour of Polish cuisine with Ren Behan at modern Polish restaurant Malina in Brook Green. We ate until our bellies were swollen as the lovely staff kept bringing out more and more delicious food.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the starters. To begin I had a shot of lemon vodka to warm me up and then we were brought slices of rye bread and a pot of mysterious but tasty looking pate, which actually turned out to be pork fat. Sounds vaguely grim, but it definitely got my stomach in gear for deliciousness.

Next we had beautiful teacups of vivid beetroot soup, not stodgy and thick as you might imagine, but clear, velvety and full of flavour.

And as you can see pictured here, we indulged in a couple of plates of pierogi – traditional Polish dumplings which you can have with a variety of fillings. They were like delicate ravioli. We opted for cheese and potato along with bacon and buckwheat all topped with caramelised onions. Sooooo good, but left us far too full to finish our main courses or even attempt dessert. Next time!

So I came home determined to try and recreate the soup as we’re big fans of beetroot and grow lots of it down the allotment. I think the thing I loved the most about Malina’s soup was the consistency – smooth, clear and velvety.

So after a bit of a chat with Ren, I decided i’d try using the juice of raw beetroots to make the basis of the soup. To bring added flavour I sweated red onion, celery and garlic in olive oil, added vegetable stock and then the beetroot juice. The resulting broth was absolutely divine and very 5:2 diet friendly. Result!

I feel quite inclined to make more soup using my juicer… I think carrot would be brilliant done like this. Even Arlo tried a spoonful of the beetroot soup when I was eating it, and I reckon the smooth consistency could be a great way to encourage the boys away from the omnipresent violent orange tinned tomato soup.

How to make beetroot soup

Beetroot soup
makes 750ml or 2-3 servings

350g raw beetroot, cleaned and trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
500ml vegetable stock

1. Put the beetroot through your juicer and retain the beautiful red liquid in a jug and leave to one side.

2. In a large pan heat the oil and then over a gentle heat sweat the onions and celery with a pinch of salt and the lid on for a good 5 minutes until soft. Add the crushed garlic and sweat for a further minute.

3. Pour in the stock and beetroot juice and allow to simmer for 5-1o minutes. Cool a little and then blitz with a blender until totally smooth. Serve with toasted and buttered sourdough with goats cheese, or just on it’s own if you’re following the 5:2 diet!

Tip: If you don’t have a juicer you could peel and chop the beets and cook them in the vegetable stock and then blend and sieve it.

Simple and in Season

Beetroot and celery are pretty seasonal veggies for this time of year so I’m going to put this recipe in for Ren’s Simple and in Season, this month hosted by Louisa at Chez Foti.

 

Filed Under: 1 Featured Recipes, Soup Tagged With: 5:2 diet, beetroot, soup

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Comments

  1. Ren Behan says

    March 25, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    Lovely! The soups looks yummy an dit was great to be reminded of our Polish food adventure. Definitely up for more Polish restaurant trips. Thanks for giving it a go at home – and a perfect Simple and in Season recipe!! xx

    • Katie Bryson says

      March 25, 2013 at 1:30 pm

      It was great trying a totally new cuisine with an expert – really hope we can do it again and continue our tour! The beetroot soup is so delicious… nothing like it! I’m going to cook up some carrot and fennel soup this afternoon. Definitely still soup weather here!

  2. Louisa Foti says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:06 pm

    Your polish dinner sounds wonderful as does this vibrant and super-seasonal soup! I would never have thought of putting veggies through a juicer for soup either, but what a good idea. Thanks for entering Simple and in Season!

Trackbacks

  1. March Simple and in Season: Now Open! | Chez Foti says:
    March 25, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    […] Beetroot Soup I’m still getting a generous weekly picking of Calabrese Broccoli, my kids fave veggie! Share […]

  2. March’s Simple and in Season Round-Up | Chez Foti says:
    April 2, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    […] Katie of Feeding Boys and a Firefighter we had a gorgeously vibrant and Polish inspired Beetroot Soup, interesting made with juiced beetroot rather than the whole veggie so as to yield a smoother, […]

  3. March Simple and in Season: Now Open! | Eat your veg says:
    September 3, 2013 at 11:02 am

    […] 12) Beetroot Soup […]

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I’m Katie Bryson – Freelance Food Writer, wife of a strapping vegetarian and mum of two boisterous boys – keeping them all fuelled and trying to stay sane is a daily challenge so I thought I’d share my experiences. Read More...

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