I was planning to share this colorful recipe right after the vegetable stock but it waited for its time like other things in life. I tried different ways to cook beetroots during this period like roasting, sautéing, boiling etc. to understand which one gives the best result for the soup. These trials made my hands and probably my tongue to stay a reddish purple for a while thanks to peeling and eating beetroots for consecutive days.
Beet has a sort of earthy-sweet taste which makes it appropriate for sweet recipes as well as savory ones so I have also an idea of developing a cake recipe in mind by using beetroot. You’ll see it here if I find the result promising. Other than its characteristic and tuneful taste, the most remarkable thing about beet is its color. Color of beetroot is so deep and strong that you feel like you can paint one of the walls in your kitchen with some leftover soup.
Beetroot is also one of the miraculous vegetables considering the positive effects on cardiovascular system and especially on high blood pressure. If you’re a heavy drinker, eating beetroot would be a good choice for your liver too considering its help preventing build up of harmful deposits caused by alcohol abuse. So, try to add some beetroot in your nutritional regime to fully take advantage of this colorful vegetable.
And here comes one of the greatest challenges in life: the matter of how to cook and to peel beetroots without ruining your white t-shirt with just a little drop of beetroot juice. Believe me, trying to peel them in the beginning is a real headache since beetroots are quite sturdy when they are not cooked. Sautéing them is not the proper way I may suggest considering such difficulties.
For me, the best way to cook beetroots safely is to follow the recipe of famous French chef Jean-Georges. Thanks to Mark Bittman from NYT who had shared this cooking technique he learned from him years ago, my kitchen counter and my t-shirt was safe. You do not need to peel the beetroots and no need to cut them in anyway. All you need is individual pieces of aluminum foil to wrap each one tightly. What else? An oven tray and your oven. That’s it!
Beets are believed to be one of the wonder foods of ancient world with healing properties and the Greeks were told to present beets to Apollo (god of sun) on a silver platter. I could not find a suitable silverware for the photo shoot but used these hand made ceramic bowls instead. After all, we were not expecting Apollo to join us for dinner.
Ingredients (for 4 serving)
- 350g (12,3 oz) beetroots
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 4 tablespoons dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grounded mustard seed
- freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt
- 5-6 cups of vegetable stock
Instructions
| 1. |
Wash beetroots ver well and wrap each beetroot with aluminum foil and place them on a deep baking tray. Bake them in the oven preheated to 200 C (around 400 F) for 60-90 minutes until a thin-bladed knife pierces each with little resistance. (They may cook at different rates especially if their sizes differ too much. So you may need to remove each one when it is done) After beets have cooled completely, peel off skins with plastic gloves on your hand not to end up with purple hands. Slice beets into wedges or cubes. |
| 2. | Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant ad beginning to soften. At that point, add in the sliced beetroots and cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring. Pour the white wine, add mustard seeds, salt, and black pepper. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until the alcohol of the wine evaporates. Add vegetable stock and cook further until it starts simmering. Turn off the heat and finely puree the mixture by using a food processor or a hand blender and return to the skillet. |
| 3. | Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, add lemon juice to balance the acidity of the soup. You may sprinkle some grated pecorino romano or parmigiani cheese before serving. |
#1 by olcay - September 25th, 2012 at 04:03
beetroot betroot
#2 by Tom - December 4th, 2012 at 00:11
Nice recipe, liked the inclusion of mustard seeds. http://backkitchenhappenings.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/beetroot-and-apple-soup-a-soup-from-the-vegetable-box/ here was my version of beetroot soup.
#3 by Fik - September 16th, 2014 at 16:43
hi,you should try the small Asian pkmpuin (I do not know the name) rather than the big kuaylo pkmpuin as the small type tastes much much better. I use only big one for soup with added spices. Butternut squash (cut in cubes)is the best version for roasting in oven with red onion, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Lastly add some goat cheese or feta cheese before serving. Your roast veg looks delicious!