Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Beetroot Soup with Goat's Cheese

Last night we celebrated K's birthday by inviting my parents and his mum and auntie over for a dinner. We started with this bright and nourishing beetroot soup, followed with a filling boeuf bourgoignon to please my dad (he did enjoy the beetroot & ginger cake he was served last time he visited, but he was still disappointed that there was no 'proper food' last time). We then entertained our dear guests with Piña Colada Espuma (second helpings for all the ladies, and if my dad hadn't been the designated driver, he would have probably helped himself to the seconds, too), and finished with a cup of coffee and a fancy peach souffle made by the birthday boy himself. A very enjoyable evening indeed..

I wrote about a beetroot soup only recently (Vegetarian Borscht, September 2007), but this is totally different, and just as nice. The recipe is straight off the Finnish Ruokala.tv site - Punajuuri-vuohenjuustokeitto* - the only difference is that I weighed the parsnip and celeriac to make the recipe more 'exact'. Not that it's necessary here, so if you wish, just play around with the amounts of various root vegetables in the soup. Also, the original recipe suggests you crumble the goat's cheese into the soup to make it more creamy, but I had bought a wrong goat's cheese for that purpose, so I just sliced the cheese and placed on top of the soup.

Maarja Sloveenias tegi ka seda peedisuppi ja kiitis heaks. Loe lähemalt siit.

Beetroot Soup with Goat's Cheese
(Peedi-kitsejuustusupp)
Serves 4-6



1 onion, finely chopped
olive oil
300 grams raw beetroot
50 grams raw parsnip
50 grams raw celeriac/root celery
1 Litre vegetable stock (I used 4 tsp Marigold vegetable bouillon and hot water)
100 grams soft goat's cheese, crumbled (or goat's cheese with rind, sliced)
salt
coarsely ground black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped

Peel the onion and chop finely.
Peel the beets, celeriac and parsley, and chop finely or grate coarsely.
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan, add the onion and saute for about 7-8 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the beets, celeriac and parsnip and heat for a few minutes, stirring every now and then.
Add the hot bouillon, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
Cool a little, then process with immersion blender until smooth. Add the crumbled goat's cheese (reserve some for garnishing), season with salt and pepper.
Divide into small soup bowls, garnish with extra cheese and some herbs.

* Kui see retsept Eesti lugejatele tuttav tundub, siis tõesti on tegemist sama supiga, mida Angeelika Kang tegi esmaspäevases Terevisioonis ja mille retsept ilmus viimases Oma Maitse numbris. Aga meil oli menüü juba eelmisel nädalal paigas, nii et jäin oma esialgsele supivalikule kindlaks :)

18 comments:

K and S said...

Happy Birthday K! this soup looks like a nice way to warm up on a special day :)

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Love the combination of beets and parsnip -- sounds oh so sweet, and a delicious way to celebrate K's birthday!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, K! I'd pick beet soup for my birthday too, but then, no surprise there :-)

Maarja said...

K'le sünnipäevatervitused.
Aga see supp saab mu menüüsse reedel.

Jeanne said...

Wow look at that vibrant colour! Happy birthday to K :)

Annemarie said...

I did think: 'Pille did something like this recently' so thanks for pointing out that's not the case. :) I love the sound of different vegetables in it, and I'm a huge sucker for goat's cheese. Hope K had a very happy birthday!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

You know I had two beetroots in my shopping basket today but for some reason I put them back - was rather intimidated. But now I wish I hadn't. This soup sounds delish!

Katie Zeller said...

What a gorgeous soup! I love the color of beetroot. The recipe sounds tasty, as well...especially with my favorite goat cheese. I'll eat almost anything with goat cheese....

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I make beets with goat cheese but I haven't tried it in a soup before. Thanks for the idea, Pille!

Karolina Beaudet said...

I love goat cheese, but never thought of adding it to beetroot soup before. Great idea!!! I'll try this recipe for sure!!!

Helene said...

Happy belated birthday to K! My better half hates beets but I wonder if the word goat cheese might sweeten the pill!! Please, tell us more about the peach souffle!

Pille said...

K&S – this soup went down well (my dad only ate half a bowl, but that was more than we expected:)

Lydia – beets and parsnip lend a lovely sweetness to the soup indeed.

Alanna – I knew you have great taste :)

Maarja – mida reedel tähistate?

Jeanne – well, as you don’t eat beetroot, you must settle for admiring the vibrant colours :)

Annemarie – well, I’ve got another beetroot soup in store, but i’ll wait a few weeks before posting that :)

Meeta – beets aren’t intimidating at all!!!

Katie – I’ve been only eating goat cheese for a few years, but it’s definitely a great ingredient!

Susan – I’ve made a grilled beetroot and goat cheese sandwich as well as filo tartlets with beets and goat cheese, but it was my first time to combine these in a soup. A great combo :)

Karolcia – give it a go!

Tartelette – goat cheese might just do the trick! And I’ll ask K to tell you more about the peach souffle one day soon!

Maarja said...

Reedel ei tähista suurt miskit, ainult mu lillkapsa-kõrvitsapüree supp on tänaseks otsas ja saan endale uue meisterdada. Lihtsalt see kurblooline lugu, et kuni uuringuteni järgmisel nädalal olen ma lihalt maas ja siis olen selline poolenisti taimetoitlane.

Chris said...

Happy (belated) birthday! This soup looks phenomenal! Something about beets and goat cheese...yum!

Shaun said...

Pille ~ I love the tangy quality of goat's cheese and its interaction with the sweetness of beetroot. I think they marry well because of their underlying earthiness. This soup looks wonderful, and I love that the recipe calls for parsnip, an under-rated root vegetable (and one of Eric's most favourite).

To K.: Happy Belated Birthday! Good on you for making your own cake, a wonderful souffle, I'm sure. I'm turning 30 in January...Any ideas as to what I should make for it? ;-)

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful recipe. I'm a huuuuuuge beetroot fan.

I've made beetroot soup before, but never thought to put goat's cheese on top. Thanks for this.

And thank you for visiting Limes & Lycopene too - glad you liked the look of the chocolate & beetroot cake!

Pille said...

Mann - ega poolenisti taimtoiduline olemine nüüd nii paha polegi. Me sööme ka liha nii 1-2 korda nädalas, ülejäänud aeg ikka taimne toit..

Chris - thanks for your birthday wishes for K - I'll pass them on. And yes, beetroot and goat cheese make a good pairing.

Shaun - I'll ask K. to send you his birthday suggestions:)

Kathryn - thanks for sharing such an interesting beetroot recipe with your readers!

Anonymous said...

just bought beetroots though some of my crew mates hate it but i make salad for me and my captain
will do this soup Pille. and i have baked them yr apple cake.