… whilst the fresh, new life of spring and the warm days of summer are all very well, I must admit that it’s these crisp and cool days of autumn that I love the most… my blog-friend Jenn who writes the excellent Jenn’s Food Journey mentions how the weather for them down in the Southern States is still in the low hundreds… can you imagine October in the low hundreds… it’s just not right… bring on the strong Autumn sunshine, the golden leaves blowing in the wind, the fields ploughed and re-planted with next years crops and the smell of bonfires drifting through the village… a long country walk to the local pub where you’re guaranteed a toasty open fire and a glass of warming whisky and ginger… i am in heaven…
… it’s also the best season for clothes as I can wrap myself up layers of soft wool as I brace myself against the oncoming chill and not have to worry about my ‘bikini body’ for another full 6 months… and of course it’s the best season for food… all the rich and warming stews… long slow roasts… earthy vegetables… pickling and jamming… dumplings… cakes for halloween… soups for bonfire night… dare I mention the joy of cooking for christmas…
roasted beetroot soup
commonly known as borscht this isn’t quite the same thing… but most definitely has its roots firmly in one or two eastern european cupboards… i’m roasting the beetroots for added depth of flavour, you could just as easily boil them but I find they lose their earthy flavour… I totally forgot to weigh my beetroots whilst making this soup so I apologise in advance for the sketchy ingredients list…
roughly 5 mixed sized home grown beetroots – peeled and quartered
roughly the same weight in new potatoes – roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery – finely chopped
1 medium onion – finely chopped
2 garlic cloves – crushed
1 and 1/2 pints good veg stock
2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme
4 tablespoons creme fraiche or soured cream
a few strands of chives
– place the beetroots in an oven-proof dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lemon thyme and then roast on 170 for about 45 mins or until soft – you may need to cover the dish in foil after 30 mins
– meanwhile in a large soup pan, saute the onions and celery in butter and olive oil until translucent, then add the potatoes, stir around, reduce the heat and cover to sweat for 5 mins or so until soft
– once the beetroot is soft add them to the soup pan, stir and cover again to sweat for a further 5 mins
– add the stock and let it bubble away gently for about 20 mins
– liquidize until velvety and soft, add 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche and whizz again
– serve with another dollop of creme fraiche and some chopped chives
eat and of course, enjoy!
I was strictly a summer girl until I moved to the UK. In recent years I have learnt to become more of an Autumn / Spring girl so I can now understand your preference for the weather at this time of year. Anything that gives me the excuse to wear big woolly jumpers and stuff my face with lovely food can't be all that bad. Love the soup, especially the colour. I really must get some beetroot for cooking myself.
I too love Autumn, and the colour of this wonderful soup zings out amongst the faded greens, russets and browns that make up our surroundings at the moment.
Such a wonderful soup from a few homegrown ingredients, and very fortuitous as I am just about to pull up some beets today.
I always have that ooooh errrr…. moment though when stick blender meets pan and expect my kitchen to resemble a crime scene worth of all the tv CSI's as the beetroot's wonderfully coloured liquid meets the whirring blades!!
Sue xx
I'm with you – Autumn cooking is the best! What a gorgeous colour to that soup!
What a beautiful colour…very chic soup!
It looks delicious
Sounds lovely – I've never had beetroot soup before!
You are doing it again to me . . . almost converting me to beetroot! I love the jewel like colour. Gorgeous!
We are just coming into spring! And I am so looking forward to lighter food and crisp fresh salads. To throw off the winter woolies and feel the sun on your face. But this beetroot soup is definitely on the list for next year! What a glorious colour.
First let me say.. the soup is absolutely gorgeous! I love the color of it.. so bright and vibrant!!
Second..thanks for the shout out.. even if it was about our nasty weather! lol Trust me.. I'm longing for the color days. I'm starting to crave the comfort foods of the fall, but my mind keeps say NO it's still summer!!! 🙂
I am loving the velvety smoothness of this soup Dom, using my favourite beets.
Hi Dom! Yes, I'm eagerly waiting for cooler weather here. We were at 102 yesterday. Forecast says we'll be at 100 today. The soup looks stunning and inviting. What a beautiful colour for a lipstick as well : )
Oh Dom, you've got my number on this one. What a color. I made a summer beet soup and added creme fraiche, which made it bright pink, but this one is the gloriously deep fall version. By the way, here in CA we're in the hundreds as well, so your description of fall in your village enchanting!
What a gorgeous description of autumn – I completely agree, I love this time of year for all the reasons you've listed! Shame it's pouring down very unseasonably as I write this…
I'm with you and those cool crisp Autumn days and bonfires and all that seasonal atmosphere! And you've given us a gorgeous soup … beautifully presented and so smooth and creamy looking! Kudos, dearie!
I never remember to weigh things when I'm making soup, you can just bung things in and it always seems to come out tasting great. I have some beetroot soup in the freezer that I really should use, thanks for the reminder.
i love that beautiful color. i've never had anything like this, it looks delicious!
I love beetroot not simply because of its wonderful earthy sweet flavour, but because of its glorious colour! esp when it's mixed in with sth white so it looks so girly pink hee hee. the soup looks yummy dom! I must say I'm very much a summer girl in terms of weather, but in terms of food, I'm very much a fall girl heh. bring on the pheasants, squashes, the warm cider, the baked apples and pears, the smell of ginger and cinnamon…
That soup, Dom, is the bees knees. It looks so inviting and is so right for Autumn, colour as well as ingredients. I love Autumn too, especially if we actually get some cold crisp days as opposed to the warmish and soggy ones we've had down here so far. CT, not being a beetroot fan, I don't get to eat this sort of soup very often, so another good excuse to make a bee line for your door. Not sure why I have bees on the brain, but there are worse things.
I stumbled onto your blog…and am so glad that I did…can't wait to make this!
sheilatf52 at yahoo dot com
Hope you don't mind (and I was sure you wouldn't) but loved this recipe and the glorious inviting photograph that I just posted a link to this and your beetroot cake too on my latest blog post – you kicked me into doing something about my aversion to beetroot and it was lovely!