My Christmas Soup (Beetroot and Parsnip) from 2009 |
I first made this vibrant Christmas Soup almost ten years ago when I had a glut of beetroot from the veg patch. Now I recognise that it's a very nutritious balanced meal, a perfect foil for sweet Christmas indulgences, and a good time saver if made ahead and frozen.
My late mother was an amazing cook and Christmas was a time when she could give free reign to all her culinary talents. Not for our family shop-bought mince pies and fruit cake, plastic wrapped turkey, boxed stuffing mix, microwaved Christmas pud or store bought brandy sauce. No, my lovely mum would start in early November making the fruit cake, feeding Dad's best brandy into it to keep it moist over the weeks ahead, ordering the bird (always called 'the bird' in our house) from the butcher in early December and building up to the big day like a military operation. Everything was made from scratch, just as her parents had done before and as I try to today. Among all this preparation, she would still find time for freshly made soup for lunch and homemade mince pies at teatime.
Lunchtime soup became a reassuring daily tradition so it's no surprise that, in the early veg patch days when I set myself the challenge of finding ways of liking beetroot, I turned to soup. Soup is so comforting, isn't it?
The veg patch community grew beetroot as one of our first crops only because someone had a free packet of seeds; roll on to harvest time and it turned out that no-one, me included, actually liked the stuff. (Staggering to think as now I love eating beetroot in all its many guises.) Rather than letting the entire crop go to waste, I challenged myself to find ways of using beetroot that would change my mind; this soup was one of them. (Chocolate beetroot cake was another.)
The recipe that I drew inspiration from in 2009 called for more beetroot than other veg. I tweaked the proportions so my version has more carrots, more parsnips and less beetroot to make a sweeter, less earthy soup but with the same vibrant deep red colour. With the confidence of experimenting with home grown veg over the past decade, these days I'd add celery to the veg mix and top the soup with toasted and crushed hazelnuts and green pumpkin seeds. I'd also stir some horseradish through the yogurt garnish. After all, I've got to do something with all the horseradish romping through the veg patch!
Why not try it and let me know what you think? And trust me on the toasted hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds - that crunchy topping is delicious!
My late mother was an amazing cook and Christmas was a time when she could give free reign to all her culinary talents. Not for our family shop-bought mince pies and fruit cake, plastic wrapped turkey, boxed stuffing mix, microwaved Christmas pud or store bought brandy sauce. No, my lovely mum would start in early November making the fruit cake, feeding Dad's best brandy into it to keep it moist over the weeks ahead, ordering the bird (always called 'the bird' in our house) from the butcher in early December and building up to the big day like a military operation. Everything was made from scratch, just as her parents had done before and as I try to today. Among all this preparation, she would still find time for freshly made soup for lunch and homemade mince pies at teatime.
Lunchtime soup became a reassuring daily tradition so it's no surprise that, in the early veg patch days when I set myself the challenge of finding ways of liking beetroot, I turned to soup. Soup is so comforting, isn't it?
The veg patch community grew beetroot as one of our first crops only because someone had a free packet of seeds; roll on to harvest time and it turned out that no-one, me included, actually liked the stuff. (Staggering to think as now I love eating beetroot in all its many guises.) Rather than letting the entire crop go to waste, I challenged myself to find ways of using beetroot that would change my mind; this soup was one of them. (Chocolate beetroot cake was another.)
The recipe that I drew inspiration from in 2009 called for more beetroot than other veg. I tweaked the proportions so my version has more carrots, more parsnips and less beetroot to make a sweeter, less earthy soup but with the same vibrant deep red colour. With the confidence of experimenting with home grown veg over the past decade, these days I'd add celery to the veg mix and top the soup with toasted and crushed hazelnuts and green pumpkin seeds. I'd also stir some horseradish through the yogurt garnish. After all, I've got to do something with all the horseradish romping through the veg patch!
Why not try it and let me know what you think? And trust me on the toasted hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds - that crunchy topping is delicious!
Parsnip and Beetroot Soup
For 4 good sized bowls, you will need:
150g onion
250g carrots
a stick of celery
300g parsnip (approx 2 medium)
800ml stock (easy to make your own or use powdered stock)
200g cooked beetroot
1/2 tsp ground coriander (Garam Masala is a good substitute)
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Optional garnish of yogurt, chopped dill, pumpkin seeds, toasted and crushed hazelnuts
250g carrots
a stick of celery
300g parsnip (approx 2 medium)
800ml stock (easy to make your own or use powdered stock)
200g cooked beetroot
1/2 tsp ground coriander (Garam Masala is a good substitute)
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Optional garnish of yogurt, chopped dill, pumpkin seeds, toasted and crushed hazelnuts
- Roast or boil beetroot until soft (about 40 minutes); leave to cool before peeling, discarding stems and roots. Chop into smaller chunks.
- Peel and chunk carrots, parsnips, celery. Slice onions.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in heavy based pan. Add onions, carrots, celery and parsnip. Stir to coat. Put on lid and sweat for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add ground coriander spice. Stir in and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add stock and beetroot. Bring to boil then simmer for 20 minutes, lid off.
- When cool, blend soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with a swirl of yoghurt and/or other toppings.
- Get creative with patterns in the yogurt! To make swirls, use a chopstick or skewer to pull the yogurt gently into the soup in small circles.
And here it is in pictures ...
Onion, Parsnip, Carrots about to be 'sweated'.
Stock and Beetroot added. Mmm, getting redder!
Simmering …
Cooled and ready to blend …
Checking the seasoning
A few thoughts:
- My first bowl didn't have Dill in it but was very nice. I bought some dill for the second serving of soup and was amazed at the transformation. It added a whole new taste dimension, as did the yogurt - and both are quite important for the Christmas look!
- Fascinating fact: Did you know that Dill is traditionally an Ancient Sign of Fortune? And marketed by a certain UK supermarket as 'feathery fronds of fragrant flavour'. Need I say more?
Nutrition facts* that make this a very healthy soup:
Beetroot: A wonder food! A good source of soluble fibre, packed with Vitamins A, C and B6, and folic acid. It is both an appetite stimulant, easily digested and contains an abundance of calcium, potassium, choline, organic sodium and natural sugars. Helpful for anaemia, anxiety, fatigue, skin problems, liver problems, circulatory weakness, menstrual and menopausal problems, high and low blood pressure.Parsnips: Another good source of fibre and packed with vitamins and minerals. The organic chlorine (not the sort used in swimming pools!) is a natural mineral and as such is used as a body cleanser. Parsnips are rich in sulphur and silicon which is very helpful for skin and hair health. Parsnip juice is also very beneficial for anyone suffering from lung conditions, but small to medium sized parsnips are best for this.
Onion: Rich in vitamin C, copper and iron, as well as sulphur, calcium and phosphorus. The juice was used by the Romans for treating skin disease and healing wounds but is equally good for the immune system today!
* I firmly believe that being aware of what you eat is better than spending hours at the doctor's surgery. I occasionally juice fruits and veg and the above facts are taken from a book called "Getting the Best out of your Juicer" by William H Lee. Published in USA, it's not widely available in UK and may be out of print. I think I bought mine in a health shop about ten years ago.
I too was not a beetroot fan...until this year. Then I tried them grated, raw in a salad and yum!! At this stage, I prefer the less "earthy" non-red ones (i.e. Chioggia and yellow) and I don't yet enjoy them cooked, but eating them in any form (and hence wanting to grow them) is a big step for me - who knows what next year will bring?
ReplyDeleteYou should try chocolate beetroot cake, Margaret - it's really delicious! Also, pull the beets when they're small, they're much sweeter then. I've grown Chioggia but not golden beetroot before - I didn't know that they were milder in flavour. I didn't like the taste of Chioggia when I grew it - I tried it raw, very thinly sliced and it left a horrible taste in my mouth. Never again!
DeleteThat looks and sounds delicious. xx
ReplyDeleteAh thanks, Flighty. It is a very delicious soup but I guess it helps if you like parsnips as well as beetroot, which I do! xx
DeleteWow, that soup is such a gorgeous colour. This recipe looks fantastic, especially with the dill. Soup is so perfect for this time of year and I'm not sure the colour could be any more festive. Brilliant using your veg patch to guide your recipes. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful website. Lots of useful info here.
ReplyDeleteI'm sending it to a few friends ans also sharing in delicious.
And of course, thank you on your effort!
The soup looks delicious and how good to see that you give amounts rather than saying 1 large carrot as recipes often do - presumably written by non-gardeners.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely soup, I'm a beetroot fan so will give this a whirl.xxx
ReplyDeleteThat soup is a wonderful colour and looks so wholesome, I will have to try it ou. Hope your Christmas went well, it is always hard at this time of year recollecting Christmas past. Thanks for the information about my video, hopefully it's working now! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteThis soup looks so tasty! And I think it is good not only for Christmas! Especially if you have home grown vegetables..A few months ago to experiment a bit I ordered different seeds from https://gardenseedsmarket.com/vegetables-en/ . I decided to grow them on my own so then I could use them in the kitchen. To be honest, there is no comparison if you grow something on your own and buy. For sure I will try your recipe!
ReplyDelete