Roasted Beetroot Soup w. Caraway & Creme Fraîche
Cook Time: ~60 Minutes
I know I said I’d take a break from the soup recipes last week, but I went to my favourite restaurant last weekend, where they change the menu daily, and I ordered a delicious beetroot soup which they called “beetroot soup, caraway, and creme fraîche”. It was fantastic, and I felt compelled to attempt a recreation.
The end result should be a smooth, thick, and slightly sweet soup. After researching, I later found out this soup is commonly known as Borscht and is typically served chunky. There are thousands of variations, and while I plan to adapt my recipe over time, this is my entry.
Serves: 4-6
Prep: ~10 minutes
Cook: ~60 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken stock (1.2L)
Raw beetroot (~350g)
One white onion
One carrot
One parsnip
Two celery stalks
Chives
Two bay leaves
Carraway seeds (~2 tbsp)
Creme fraîche
Apple cider vinegar (2 tbsp)
Knob of butter
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Salt & black pepper
Notes
Reduction: The original soup was relatively smooth and thick. Once you have completed this recipe, and blitzed it with a hand blender, if you feel it’s too loose, I suggest sticking it back on the hob on low heat for 10-15 minutes to reduce and thicken. This also brings out more sweetness.
Gloves: This soup will leave everything you touch with a red tint, so be mindful when handling the beetroot.
Equipment
Large pot
Hand blender (or regular blender)
Mise En Place
Peel and chop the carrot and parsnip.
Slice the celery sticks into small pieces.
Peel and thinly slice the onion.
Remove the stalks from the beetroot, cover in tin foil and season with salt, black pepper, and a healthy lashing of olive oil. Seal the foil loosely.
Chop some chives for garnish.
The Cook
Preheat the oven to 200°C (~390°F) and place your beetroot in to roast for ~45 minutes. Check them every 20 minutes or so. When they are ever so slightly soft to the touch, and emitting a sweet fragrance, they are done. When roasted, remove from the tin foil and place into a sandwich bag to steam.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a knob of butter to a large pot on a medium heat. Once melted, throw in the onions and cook for ~5 minutes until soft. Add celery, carrot, parsnip, and two tablespoons of carraway seeds and cook for another 5 minutes; ensuring you season the vegetables well.
Next, add the chicken stock, bay leaves, and cider vinegar, and bring to a boil, before reducing the heat and simmering for 10 minutes. While that simmers, remove your beetroot from the sandwich bag, remove the skin (I find a vegetable peeler works well here), and dice into small 1cm cubes. After the ten minutes of simmering, throw in your beetroot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves, and blitz until smooth. The soup should be relatively smooth and thick. If you feel it’s too loose, I suggest sticking the blitzed soup back on the hob for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. This also brings out more sweetness. Taste and apply seasoning as needed.
Tip: If you want the spiral effect with your creme fraîche, place a dollop in the center of the soup, let it melt ever so slightly, and then take a spoon and drag it gently around the bowl.
To serve, spoon the soup into a bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper, a handful of chopped chives, a sprinkling of caraway seeds, and a nice dollop of creme fraîche. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this recipe please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor