Beetroot soup
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 6
Beetroot soup is not only a fabulous colour but delicious too. Try adding a glug of vodka for the classic Borscht experience.
Ingredients
- beetroot: 3-4 medium (apple-sized) beetroot (about 500-600g/1lb 2oz-1lb5oz, grated coarsely, or choped into small dice
- tomatoes: 500g/1lb 2oz ripe tomatoes, halved
- garlic: 1 clove garlic, chopped roughly
- onion: 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- sunflower oil: 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- : 500ml/16½fl oz good strong stock (beef is best, but chicken or vegetable will do)
- black pepper: salt and freshly ground black pepper
- feta: 125g/4oz feta
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170 Fan/Gas 5.
Place the halved tomatoes in an ovenproof dish. Throw over the garlic and drizzle over half the olive oil.
Roast for 25-30 minutes in the oven until soft and pulpy. Rub through a sieve to remove the skin and pips.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sweat the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add the beetroot and the stock and bring to the boil. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer gently for 7-10 minutes until the beetroot is tender.
Stir in the tomato purée, transfer the soup to a blender and process until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary
Divide between warm bowls and crumble over a little feta into each bowl. Serve with crusty bread.
Recipe tips
You can serve this beetroot soup cold. After cooking, cool the soup and then chill in the fridge. Using your fingers, crumble a little feta into each bowl. A sprinkling of grated raw beetroot makes a good garnish for the cold version
