Chilled Beetroot Soup w/ Crème Fraiche
I don't know why I'm met with such resistance around this one.
As someone who is famous for pushing all sorts of commonly unappetising but exceptionally nutrient dense foods, (organ meats, fish heads.. pigs heads!) - I feel a bit incredulous when people turn their noses up at THIS recipe.
Danielle did.
Thankfully she had to eat her words. Or, thoughts - because she didn't actually SAY anything out loud, but I could feel her slight skepticism when I decided to add this recipe into our already HUMONGOUS (and very stunning) e-book that accompanies our 'From Scratch: The Easy Way' membership.
This soup is jam-packed with garlic, leek, chicken stock and once the crème fraiche is added it is the most intense savoury HEAVEN you can imagine! The beets are just a delicate compliment in terms of flavour, but effortlessly steal the show, visually.
It's SO simple and quick to make with pre-cooked beets - which is the way we've both come to BE in the kitchen: PREPPED and ready to whip up a meal in minutes whenever the inspiration strikes. And trust us - it does strike more often when you're organised.
Prepping the beets
You can use my fortnightly routine: boil the beets in their skins for 1-1.5 hours (I add salt, rapadura and apple cider vinegar to the water to neutralise the earthiness for my kids), allow them to cool for an hour or you can even leave them overnight. Then you'll find that the skins slip off super easily if you twist them with your hands.
Done. That's it!
Save the greens for soups or broth and store the beets in the fridge for when you're ready to use them. I used to do this every week until I realised it was far more efficient to do a bigger batch every 2-3 weeks.
I save a LOT of effort by doing this on Monday night when my veggie box arrives - I skip the double-handling of putting the beetroot away first. They go immediately into the pot, bubbling away as I unpack the boxes. Then I turn off the heat and go to bed and deal with them at some point the next day.
SO EASY!
And there are INFINITE shortcuts available to us to create more EASE and FLOW. This is a mindset shift. Once you 'get it', you can apply it everywhere - not just in the kitchen, but it will flow out to the rest of your life as well.
Cooking can be easier than we imagine. LIFE can be easier than we imagine!
Chilled Beetroot Soup
My sister made a version of this recipe for me after living in Lithuania many years ago, now. It’s a classic beet recipe that is found all through Eastern Europe and the perfect example of a ‘pockets of time’ meal that comes together over several short sessions, whenever you have time to cook.
It is traditionally garnished with sliced cucumber and served with roast potatoes and sliced boiled eggs. The eggs provide a quick and easy protein boost that allow this delicious light soup to become a substantial meal.
(And whenever you combine meat, seafood or eggs with broth, as they are in this meal, they're a much more balanced and nourishing protein.)
One thing to note, is that if you’re planning to serve this dish chilled (and granted, it is as delicious served warm as it is, straight from the fridge) you need to consider how gelatinous your broth is. If you’re using homemade broth that is solid at room temperature, that is not going to be particularly appetising, as a chilled experience! A very loose jiggle is fine, anything beyond that, it’s best to dilute the broth.
This recipe serves 2
- 1.5 tbsp of ghee, butter or olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced (dark green leaves can be saved for something else)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.25L / 5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable, beef or fish broth)
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 medium beetroots, pre-cooked and peeled
- 200g crème fraiche, sour cream or yoghurt (or even nut cheese)
- Garnish: handful of dill, finely chopped
Method
- Place a medium pot over high heat and once it’s hot, add your chosen cooking fat. Reduce to medium heat and sauté the leek for around 7 minutes until it’s soft and translucent, adding the minced garlic about halfway through. Stir frequently to prevent any burning.
- Add the broth and salt and pepper, allow it to come to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Whilst that’s happening, gently grate the cooked beetroot and set it aside to add to the broth once it has finished simmering.
- Add the beetroot and remove from the heat. Stir in the crème fraiche and dill, adjust the seasonings if necessary, then set aside to cool. (Or enjoy this as a warm soup if you like!)
- Transfer the soup to the fridge to chill completely - it can be served anytime over the next 2 days. Boiled eggs and roast potatoes are optional extras, depending on whether you’re planning to make it a meal or just a refreshing snack.
If you EVER have bunches of beets or greens that wilt in your fridge - we've BOTH been there and had that constant niggling guilt around food wastage. If you feel uninspired or overwhelmed by the time sap and mental load of relentless meal creation..
..there IS an easier way!
We know because we've drastically cut our time spent in the kitchen and freed up SO_MUCH_HEADSPACE since developing our Easy Way method.
We're kicking off June 14th and this is the ONLY time the doors will open until later in 2023. We'd LOVE to see you for this round!
Georgia & Danielle x
LEARN TO COOK SMARTER NOT HARDER >>
From Scratch: The Easy Way
