Sunday's Recipe: Beetroot soup

With its intense red color, this soup is definitely and eye catcher on your festive table. I admit that the color prompted me to try this soup but the earthy, comforting taste itself is what persuaded me entirely. It makes for a perfect winter soup and is a nice change to my usual pumpkin soup I make this time of the year (especially if pumpking is otherwise involved in yourr menu). Even people who usually don't like beetroot, say in their salads for instance, loved this soup. If you are unsure you can always change the beetroot-to-potato-ratio to reduce the flavor. Soups are very entertaining-friendly as I prepare them often the night before and just warm up before serving. No last minute stress involved.

Ingredients (serves 6) 3 beetroots, peeled and chopped into cubes (if you have plastic gloves at home, wear them! Trust me, the color is intense...) 3 potatoes, chopped into cubes 1 onion, chopped Salt and pepper to taste 1 liter vegetable stock
How to Add a little bit of vegetable oil into a large casserole, add the onion and sautée until soft. Next add the cubed beetroot and potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes until you add the vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper if you want to, stir well then bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Cool the soup slightly then puree it in batches in a liquidiser/blender until smooth. Even though I strained the soup through a sieve it doesn't get velvety smooth like for instance pumpkin soup, so you might as well leave this step out, it's up to you.
To serve, bring the soup back to a boil and adjust the seasoning if you need to. Serve in warmed bowls with a spoonful of crème fraiche and fresh herbs or sprouts. Adding toasted almonds adds a nice crunch to your soup.
Next Sunday you'll find a recipe for the prettiest apple tartlets you have ever seen, I promise!