beetroot soup

Last night’s cut raw organic beetroot.

Its insides look so mysterious.

I was making beetroot soup (again). Simplifying it.

Cut up two large peeled/scrubbed organic beetroot and place in a large pan with two peeled onions, sliced. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then simmer with a lid for 30 minutes.

I blend with an electric hand blender, my favourite kitchen power tool.

Mine was £20 second-hand, or try Freecycle for a free one, or Just for the love of it for swops.

While blending the beets (bought from Better Food), I travelled back in time:

– to fifteen years ago, and I was trying to be helpful in someone else’s kitchen.

I was in charge of the chocolate mousse.

I poured it into the mixer and pressed the button to mix.

Mayem. Chocolate mousse on every kitchen surface in spattering distance.

I had forgotten to out the lid on the mixer.

So now I practice conscious blending.

Schadenfreude means the pleasure you get from someone’s else’s pain.

I wonder if there is a word to describe the ouch you feel when you end up

causing even more ouch to the very person you are trying to help?

Served with home-grown parsley, plant from St Werburgh’s City Farm, and Yeo Valley organic cheddar shavings.

Beetroot soup

blended-beetroot-soup-cropped1

Sharon made this soup for me. We have known each other since we were eight, and been best friends since we were 21. She recently gave me a card. It said: “A friend is someone who likes you even though they know you”.

I have a demanding digestion that cannot tolerate tomatoes but finds root vegetables soothing. Knowing my idiosyncratic dietary needs, my pal made me a Winkler-friendly beetroot soup.

Nothing beats the beet. Its colour is dramatic but it’s not all for show. Those vivid reds deliver nutritional punch, a detoxifying antioxidant called betacyanin, according to nutritionist Natalie Savona.

I love this recipe because it uses the whole beetroot so no waste. An electric blender gives the soup its smooth texture. Wear an apron when preparing and cooking beetroot as it can stain.

Sharon found the recipe in her beloved Moro cookbook. Here’s a lazier version:

You need two bunches (750g) of organic beetroot, 1 large onion, 1 potato, oil, cumin, fresh parsley and a tasty vinegar such as red wine or balsamic.

1. Cook sliced onion in 4 tablespoons of olive oil for 10 gentle minutes in a large pan

2. Add 2 rounded teaspoons of cumin (or more – 2 did not make it taste cumin-y, or grind some fresh)

3. Stir cumin and onions for a minute till the cumin releases its aroma

4. To the onion potion add beetroot – 750g previously peeled and diced quite small

5. Also one peeled and diced potato to thicken the soup (hey, do we really need to peel pots? I am gonna experiment without). Note: the smaller the diced cubes the less time they take to cook

5. Add 1.25 litre of water and simmer for 15 minutes or until veg is easy-to-munch

6. Blend soup, return to the pan with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar (or balsamic?) and season to taste

7. Add fresh parsley (or coriander I say) to each bowl of soup.

Do you like this sort of soup?