Monty and Sarah Don's recipes: Beetroot soup

Earthy, economical and a fabulous colour, this is one of my favourite soups. Small beetroots cook more quickly, and roasting rather than boiling them intensifies the flavour.

Fabulous colour: Beetroot is one of Monty's favourite flavours for soup

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) beetroot (about 8 smallish beetroots)
• A few sprigs of thyme 
• 2tbsp olive oil 
• 1 onion, finely diced 
• 1ltr (1¾pt) light chicken or vegetable stock or water 
• 2 bay leaves 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

To serve

• Yoghurt or crème fraїche
• 1tbsp finely chopped chives 

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Scrub the beetroot well, cut the tops off and trim the roots. Leave their skins on and cut into halves or quarters, depending on their size. 

Place in a roasting tin with the thyme, season well with salt and pepper and pour over 1tbsp of the oil. Toss to coat. 

Cover tightly with foil and roast for about 40 minutes until soft. When the beetroot is cool enough to handle, peel off the skins by rubbing them under a running tap. 

Alternatively, you can cook the beetroot whole by placing them, with their skins on, in a pan of cold water and bringing them to the boil. They are ready when a knife slides into the centre easily. This can take between 30 minutes to more than an hour, depending on the size and age of the beetroot. When cool, skin them and cut into halves or quarters. 

Once you have prepared the beetroot, warm the remaining oil in a pan over a medium-low heat and sauté the onion until soft, about 15 minutes. 

Place the cooked beetroot in a food processor with the onion and blitz until smooth. Scrape out the purée and put it into a pan with the stock or water and the bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Discard the bay leaves and season. Serve with yoghurt or dollops of crème fraїche and a sprinkling of chives. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1320830/Monty-Sarah-Dons-recipes-Beetroot-soup.html#ixzz4kIIRibji
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