Wednesday 12 October 2011

Beetroot and Caraway soup

This is a recipe I have invented myself. It turned out so well that I want to share it with you.

 
I had been clearing the last of my "Burpee's Golden" beetroot - all the little "tiddlers" that were left at the end of the season. It wasn't a lot (about 250 grams), but I was determined to make the most of them. These golden beetroots are quite a lot sweeter than their red cousins, so I was looking for something to provide a savoury foil to this characteristic, and I decided to try Caraway.

 
My first step was to roast the beetroots for about an hour. This made them go a lovely deep golden colour - almost orange.

 

 
While the roasted beetroot was cooling down sufficiently to allow me to remove their skins, I softened an onion over a low heat, added some stock and cooked a couple of potatoes in order to bulk-up the soup and give it a nice texture.

 
The diced beetroot was then added to the other ingredients, along with about half a teaspoonful of Caraway seed. [Note: Go easy on the Caraway. I know from experience that it can very easily overpower your dish if you use too much.]

 

 
I simmered the ingredients very slowly for about an hour, by which time the onions and potatoes were fully cooked andd the roasted beetroot had broken down to a very soft pulp. I then used a stick blender to blend everything into a nice creamy texture. That's it - job done!

 

 
The potato in this soup gave it a great smooth texture, and the balance between the sweetness of the beetroot and the warm spiciness of the Caraway was very enjoyable. I was very proud that Jane loved the soup as much as I did. She is such a good cook that I'm always a bit apprehensive when I dish up something I have invented myself. She agreed that I had got the level of Caraway right, which for me was a major criterion for success with this particular soup.

 
Here's the official recipe:-

 
Golden Beetroot and Caraway soup (serves 2)

  • Ingredients
  • 1 bunch (approx 250 grams) golden beetroot
  • 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped finely
  • Approx 1 tablespoonful vegetable oil
  • 500 ml stock
  • Half teaspoon Caraway seed
 
Method
  • "Top and tail" the beetroots, wash them and place in a roasting tin; drizzle with oil and cover with foil
  • Cook  for approx 1 hour at 160C, or until tender. (When cooked the beetroot skins should slip off easily)
  • Allow to cool until it becomes possible to peel the beetroot
  • Soften the onion over a low heat without letting it go brown (approx 10 mins)
  • Add the potato, stock and Caraway seeds
  • Roughly chop the peeled beetroot, and add to the pan
  • Bring to the boil and simmer gently for approx 1 hour
  • When all ingredients are very soft, allow the mixture to cool until safe to use stick blender
  • Blend the mixture until it reaches the desired consistency (I wanted mine quite thick)
  • Serve (or allow to cool and re-heat later)
 

 

11 comments:

  1. This looks so good. I wonder if I could get Phil to eat beets if I made up a soup like this and didn't tell him what it was, lol.

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  2. The soup looks really good. And the chilli oil in your last post is a good idea. I've discovered a couple of beetroot growing in the garden but i don't think beetroot is going to be my success story this year. Oh well, its nice to see yours.

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  3. Sounds tasty, and I happen to have some beetroot lurking, same kind, and a sudden craving for soup thanks to catching up with your blog... Though maybe not for breakfast...

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  4. This looks fabulous. I will be trying this recipe, love caraway! We have just germinated our golden beets here in Tasmania, so have to wait a while though.

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  5. Gosh the colour of that soup is just gorgeous. Looks exactly like pumpkin soup to me. If my beetroots ever decide to do anything I will perhaps give this a try... I have never had beetroot in a soup before though, so I am a little hesitant. Would it work with the purple type do you think?

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  6. Ali; Yes, I reckon that this recipe would work well enough with purple beetroot too, though they are generally not as sweet as the golden ones.

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  7. Thank you for the welcome on your last post, I know I'll be coming back to read more.

    Your soup is a lovely colour and it seems that the flavour was right too. I do like soup.

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  8. Mark, this soup looks delicious. However, I am not sure what "beetroots " are. Here we have "beets" which are dark red and more of a consistancy of a turnip. Never have I seen a golden beetroot. I am learning a lot from you.

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  9. Egretta; Yes, your "beets" are the same as our "beetroot", just as your "Celery root" is our "Celeriac". Two Nations separated by a common language, as they say!

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  10. HiFolks; The soup idea seems to have been popular! How about "Beetroot and Caraway soup - with Chilli oil"???
    Pear and Celeriac soup is on the menu tomorrow, time permitting.
    I'd love to hear about your favourite soup recipes if you feel like posting about them, or leaving me a comment. It's soup time of year for us here in the UK.

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