Foodie Friday: Homemade Beetroot Soup recipe

As the snow has been falling thick and fast today, it seemed appropriate to feature a lovely warming soup for Foodie Friday. Beetroot soup is one of my favourites and not just because it's pink - it's super easy to make and tastes delicious.

Ingredients

500g raw beetroot

50g finely chopped onions

10g unsalted butter

850ml of vegetable stock

150ml milk or milk alternative

Optional

Salt and Pepper to season

Chopped cucumber to serve

Makes around 4-6 portions depending on how hungry you are and is suitable for freezing- just make sure to defrost thoroughly before heating it up.

How To

1. Wash the beetroot in cold water, making sure that you don't bruise or damage the skin - you just want to remove any dirt / earth.

2. Place the washed beetroot in a large pot or pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for around 1 hour. This time may vary depending on how large or old your beetroot is so just adjust to suit what you have. You'll know it's cooked when the skin looks loose and becomes easy to remove.

3. Once cooked, allow the beetroot to cool and then remove all of the skin and chop into chunks.

4. In a saucepan, melt the butter over a low-medium heat ensuring that it doesn't burn. Once it starts to froth, add the chopped onions and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. In a large pot or pan, bring the vegetable stock to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the beetroot, milk and onions, giving it a good stir for around 10 minutes.

6. Pour everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Season if wanted and serve with chopped cucumber if desired. Bon apetit!

I've adapted this recipe from various others over the years, so feel free to change it if you want to, for example if you want to save time, you can use ready to eat beetroot and just miss out the first few steps. You can also add some single or double cream for extra thickness and richness, and chopped chives if you don't fancy cucumber.