fall is officially here and that means more soups in our house. and now, since i had a soup exchange a few months back, there’s no shortage of recipes for me to try out. i’ll be sharing the recipes with you guys as i make them, so sit tight and get your stock pots and homemade broth ready! (ps. a post on my stock recipe is coming!)

up first, i tried my friend zehra’s beet soup. i had a surplus of this soups main ingredient suddenly in my kitchen as i was the lucky recipient of some beet carpaccio leftovers from a dinner party.

i know, fancy huh?

they were really good as they were, but i wanted to mix it up a bit and make it easy for my kids to eat as well. as you can imagine, beet carpaccio is not really their flavour!

but this soup is. just be careful when preparing and eating it. no white clothes, ok?

those beets have a mighty pigment.

here’s a fun pic of niyya demonstrating this fact in her first foray into beet territory. she makes it look so yum, no? 🙊

so, here is the recipe. and i promise, it’s quick and easy to make. just chop, drop and stir. well, just about.

zehra’s beet soup

all you need is…

• 3 medium beets (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon grapseed oil
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 pound carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 4 teaspoons sour cream (optional)

and all you have to do is…

• under running water, peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. with a chef’s knife, cut the beets in half, then lay them flat side down and cut them into large chunks.
• in a stock pot over medium heat, heat the oil. saute the onion until it is translucent. add the carrots, ginger, and garlic. cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• add beets, bay leaves and stock. simmer the soup, covered, for 50-60 minutes.
• add lemon juice and zest and stir well.
• in a food processor or blender, puree the soup in batches then stir in the salt and pepper. taste the soup, and adjust the seasonings, if you like. serve the soup hot or chilled, garnished with dollops of sour cream or feta and fresh cilantro.
• this recipe serves 4.

and while i planned on having this batch last me a few days for lunch, i ended up eating a few bowls throughout the day!

what?! i really like this soup! ok?

and i think you will too. enjoy, and listen, if you end up making a batch i’m a quick phone call away. sharing is caring, right? ;)