Beetroot soup
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1kg beetroots, topped, tailed, scrubbed clean and cut into large pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ a small bunch thyme, plus a few leaves
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 100ml crème fraîche
- ½ lemon, juiced
TOASTS
- 3 slices sourdough, cut in half
- 4 tbsp caramelised onion chutney
- 150g blue cheese
- a handful walnuts, roughly chopped
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the beetroot, red onion and garlic into a roasting tin, pour in 150ml of water, season well and scatter over the thyme. Cover with a double layer of foil and put into the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the beetroots are very tender to the point of a knife.
- STEP 2
Remove the foil, then peel the beetroots and discard the skin, then chop into small pieces. Put into a pan with the onion, garlic and vegetable stock, bring to the boil then use a hand blender to whizz until completely smooth, or ladle into a blender and whizz. Season, then stir in the crème fraîche and lemon juice, and whizz again. Keep warm.
- STEP 3
Heat the grill to high. Put the bread pieces onto a baking tray and toast on either side. Spread each piece with the chutney and then add a piece of blue cheese, some thyme leaves and walnuts. Grill until melted.
- STEP 4
Spoon the soup into bowls and top with the toasts.