Summertime is almost upon us here in sunny Florida, so our thoughts turn to lighter and often cold dishes to help beat the heat. Chilled soups make for a quick and satisfying hot-weather meal.
Beets are a highly underrated tuber vegetable. They are cultivated for many things such as animal feed, sugar, as a leaf vegetable and a root vegetable. The red variety that we are most familiar with contains pigment structure that is unique to beets, and is used as a color intensifier in other foods such as tomato paste, jams and jellies and breakfast cereals.
Though we most often see beets pickled and served as a condiment or snack, they are much more versatile than you might think. Their earthy sweetness and striking color make beets a great component in many dishes both for their flavor and visual presentation. They can be grated raw over a salad, steamed and sautéed in butter, or roasted and served as a side dish.
This recipe for chilled beet soup is easy to make and very refreshing. Unlike classic borscht, which often contains beef, potatoes and even hard-boiled egg, this vegetarian version of chilled beet soup is light and satisfying. It has a beautiful bright magenta color and an earthy, sweet flavor with just a touch of horseradish cream to give it a little zing.
Chilled beet soup with horseradish cream
Makes 10-12 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds red beets
2 cups onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons horseradish (more or less to taste)
Directions:
1. Cut the tops off of the beets and place cut-side down in a cake pan or roasting pan. Fill with enough water until the beets are about half way covered. Cover pan with foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour, until beets are tender enough to be pierced with a knife. Remove beets from pan and let cool. Reserve cooking liquid.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes until onions are soft and garlic is fragrant. Set aside to cool.
3. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off using a dish towel (make sure it's an old towel that you don't mind being stained pink). Cut beets into large chunks. Working in batches, puree beets with some of the sautéed onions and garlic, adding enough of the cooking liquid to make it smooth. If you don't have enough cooking liquid add water.
4. After all ingredients are pureed strain it through a fine mesh sieve. If the soup is too thick add cold water until you get the right consistency. Season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Chill soup thoroughly.
5. For the garnish, mix together sour cream and horseradish. To serve, ladle each portion of soup into a chilled bowl and top with a dollop of horseradish cream.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2011.
