Beetroot Soup (Borsht)

Fresh Beetroot soup

This is a great tasting soup that uses up any of those large beetroots that you may have still growing in your raised bed.

If you have children you can add 2 large, sliced potatoes at step 5 and puree the soup before serving.  This will give the soup a fuller consistency, less prone to splashing.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

5 large beetroots

1 litre chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock if you prefer)

Juice of one lemon

125ml natural yoghurt

Salt & pepper

Instructions

1.  Harvest those large beetroots

Fresh Beetroot just Harvested

 2.  Prepare the beetroot for cooking.  Cut off the leaves and root.  Peel the skin and cut into slices.

Beetroots peeled and ready for slicing

3.  Peel and slice the onions

4.  Put the onions and beetroot into a food processer and whizz for 1 minute until the beetroot is finely chopped

5.  Add the beetroot/onion mix and stock in a large saucepan.  Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 30 minutes until the beetroot is soft.

6.  Add the lemon juice and stir

7.  Ladle into individual bowls.  Spoon a good big dollop of natural yoghurt into the middle of the soup.  The yoghurt gives a lovely sharpness against the sweet taste of the beetroot.  Sprinkle some chopped spring onion leaves over the soup.

Harvesting beetroot

Beetroot is best eaten when the roots are just a little bit bigger than a golf ball.  If the reach the size of an apple they are less tender.  Feel beneath the leaves to see if the beetroot is ready.  You will be able to feel the top of the root.  If it feels big enough then rock it side to side and pull it out.  Pour some water over the remaining roots to make sure that their roots remain settled in the soil.

Beetroot is a great tasting vegetable, completely different to those vinegary things that you can buy in the supermarket.  You can eat it raw or cooked.  Cut the leaves off the top and the small tap root off the bottom.  Give the skin a good wash (no need to peel).  The smaller, tender leaves are great in salads, especially with raw beetroot chopped into little match-stick sizes pieces.  Beetroot is also great roasted.  But my favorite has to be beetroot soup.  Very easy to make with a fantastic colour and taste.

Chard stressed in heat

Rainbow chard is not very tolerant of heat, especially if its roots dry out a little.  The recent hot and dry spell may cause your rainbow chard to bolt and flower instead of producing lots of leaves.  If you see a stem developing then you need to cut it back to about 3 cm above the ground.  You can use the leaves in much the same way as you would use spinach leaves. See the video for full instructions.