Serves 1-2
1 tsp oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 beetroot (approx 100g) plus leaves, chopped
fennel (either the herb or I used a few top fronds from overgrown florence fennel)
Swirl of greek yoghurt
1. Fry the onions in a little oil until they start to soften, then add the garlic.
2. Add chopped beetroot (not the leaves yet) and give it all a stir.
3. Add boiling water to cover (start with approx 1/2 pint) and bring back to boil. You could use stock if you prefer but the beetroot flavour is strong enough without.
4. Add chopped beetroot leaves and fennel to taste.
5. Simmer gently for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary depending how many it’s to serve and how thick you like your soup.
6. Once beetroot is tender blend and add black pepper to taste.
7. Once in the bowl swirl in some yoghurt or cream.
8. Enjoy with some toast or crusty bread.
Just whizzed this up for lunch with a leftover allotment beetroot and the tops of florence fennel which had bolted making the bulbs far too woody . They add a great flavour to this soup. Mainly used fronds but a small amount of stalk OK if blended. The soup is a rich, rather alarming red colour – watch out for splashes.
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