BORSCHT – BEETROOT SOUP
Course: STARTERS, SALADS AND SOUPSCuisine: EASTERN EUROPEANDifficulty: EASYServings
6
servingsPrep time
30
minutesThis soup is great as you DON’T HAVE TO COOK it! Just chop,blend, heat, and serve! Plus it is highly nutritious and very delicious! It looks beautiful as a starter due to its rich reddish-pink color!
Ingredients
350g large cooked beetroot, peeled and cut into chunks
225g (8oz) red or savoy cabbage, roughly chopped
4 spring onions, quartered
1 garlic clove
2 celery heart stalks, roughly chopped
1 litre (1 3/4 pints) boiling water, miso broth or vegetable stock
150ml (1 1/4 pint) sour cream, plus more to decorate
1 tbsp cider vinegar (preferrably organic)
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
Freshly ground nutmeg
Grated cucumber, to serve
Grated horseradish, to serve (optional)
Directions
- Put the beetroot, cabbage, spring onions, garlic and celery in a food processor or blender and blitz to a purée. Pour and spoon out into a large bowl or pan and mix in the water, broth or stock, sour cream and cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- You can serve this soup either CHILLED or HOT.
- If you want it CHILLED, swirl some more sour cream over the soup in each bowl and scatter with some grated cucumber.
- If you want it HOT, swirl some more sour cream over the soup in each bowl and scatter with some grated horseradish.
Notes
- This soup gives you phytoestrogens from the miso broth, garlic, and celery. It is high in antioxidants. Beetroot contains more nutrients cooked than raw! As it has good levels of vitamin C and potassium, it helps to control water retention. Red cabbage belongs to the family of highly-beneficial cruciferous vegetables which includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
