Beet Soup

It has never been my favorite vegetable, but I discovered that as long as it is not from a can in my salad, I actually like beets! The good news if you add beets to your diet they have great health benefits. Not only they are low in calories and are a good source of fiber, they are packed with good nutrients such as folate, magnesium and vitamine C! They are also know to help lower blood pressure and improve athletic performance.

I like them roasted with goat cheese or broiled and mixed with root vegetables and now I also like them in a soup.

It all started with a pink party where all the guest had to bring a pink dish, a friend cooked a beet soup and it was to my surprise sooooo good! She found the recipe in a French magazine https://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/recette/309543-veloute-de-betteraves and tweaked it…and yes I tweaked it too! Here is what I came up with, but feel free to make it your own or just experiment.

FYI: don’t tell a French that you like beets or it can become awkward (I'll let you figure this one out).

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium size beets, diced and raw

• 1 onion, chopped

• Optional: 2-3 garlic gloves, chopped

• 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped or a can of diced tomatoes

• About 2 cups/500ml vegetables or chicken stock – more to add at the end if too thick

• 2 bay leaves (to remove at the end)

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 3 Tbsp cream for decoration

• 1 Tbsp butter or 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

DESCRIPTION

1. Warm butter or oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic (optional); cook until soft about 5 minutes. Stir in beets and peeled tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute

2. Add salt and pepper, stir in stock to cover the beets and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaves, Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until beets are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Adjust the consistency with more stock if needed. It depends on the tomatoes you used. You can also add half a can of diced tomatoes if you use fresh tomatoes.

3. Add salt and pepper, stir in stock to cover the beets and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaves, Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until beets are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Adjust the consistency with more stock if needed. It depends on the tomatoes you used. You can also add half a can of diced tomatoes if you use fresh tomatoes.

4. Mix the soup in a food processor or use an immersion blender. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves.

5. Poor in bowls and garnish with a swirl of cream and a leaf of cilantro for color.

Tips: you can serve the soup with beet chips (fine beet slices broiled in the oven for 10 min) or with toast parmesan from Iggy’s.