Ingredients
- 800g beetroot
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250g onions (2-3 onions), diced
- 1 head of celery, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 250g potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
- 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 2 litres boiling water
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of soft brown sugar
- Squeeze of lemon (optional)</li><li/></ul>
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Wash, top, tail and peel the fresh beetroot, cut it into even-sized chunks or wedges, toss in a little oil and seasoning and roast in the oven at 190 degrees for 30-45 minutes (or more), until the wedges are fully tender all the way through.
Meanwhile, prepare your base vegetables. Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Sweat the onions, celery and garlic together for about 15 minutes, until fully tender. Add the diced potato and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, then add the roasted beetroot, chopped tomatoes, water and caraway seeds. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the potato is just cooked.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before blitzing. Adjust with more liquid if needed, to get the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper and brown sugar to taste, and even a little lemon if you feel it needs it.
This is a soup that responds well to blitzing, so do blitz it for about twice as long as you feel is necessary.
Recommended dressings: Yogurt and fresh herbs, roast garlic crème fraîche, fried garlic crisps, za'atar croutons or baked kale crisps
