Beetroot Soup

Most weeks, we get a few beets in our veggie box. I have romantic ideals of making beet pasta, but where I think I'll find the time I don't know. Most weeks, I save up my beets then make this fantastic soup.

The page of the recipe book is splattered with red; it looks like something out of a crime scene. But the soup is so simple that I don't think I need the book anymore.

This freezes well, but we eat it so quickly that I usually just place any leftovers in a jar in the fridge door, sloshing out a cupful for an entree at dinnertime, and a bowlful for lunch the next day.

Beetroot Soup - approximately 700g beets, scrubbed - 1 tsp Dijon mustard - 1 tbs balsamic vinegar - yogurt, to serve Place the beets in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 1½ to 2 hours, depending on their size. Check them with a knife; they are cooked when they offer no resistance. When they are ready, use a slotted spoon to scoop them out. Save the cooking liquid. Remove the beet skins and any odd hairy bits. Puree in a food processor or blender, along with the mustard and vinegar. Add enough of the cooking liquid to make it a pleasing consistency. Serve with a swirl of plain yogurt, and pass the pepper grinder. Adapted from the indispensable How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food by Nigella Lawson. (Local: beets, yogurt. Non-local: Dijon, balsamic vinegar.)