Beetroot and Apple Soup

 

Serves 4

Preparation:  30 mins

Cooking Time:  One hour, five mins

 

 

This soup was featured in The Daily Mail and is a GUEST RECIPE from the Midlife Kitchen.

Even better if both beetroots and apples can be sourced fresh from the garden!

 

I made this soup using white beetroot from the Heritage beetroots we grow in our garden,

these seem to be sweeter and less earthy in flavour than the purple variety.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 500g raw beetroot, scrubbed

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 onions, roughly chopped

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1 large Bramley apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

• 1 eating apple (Cox, Braeburn, Pink Lady) peeled, cored and cut into chunks

• 1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

 

 

Garnish
 

• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt

• mixed seeds or Dukkah

• Pistachios

• crumbled feta cheese

• chopped flat leaf parsley
   

 

Method

 

1. Wash the beetroot and trim the ends, place into a pan of boiling water for 45 mins - one hour.  Poke with a sharp knife periodically to test.   When the knife goes through easily, they are cooked.
    

2. Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and roughly chop.
    

3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the onions and the tablespoon of water, and cover with a lid. Sweat over a medium heat, without colouring, for around five minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
    

4. Peel, quarter and core the apples and add to the pan along with the chopped beetroot. Pour in the stock, add the star anise and season with salt and pepper.
    

5. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the apples are soft.
    

6. Remove the pan from the heat and take out the star anise, then blitz the soup in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth.
    

7. Reheat the soup, if necessary.
    

8. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve each with a swirl of yogurt. A crumble of feta and some chopped flat leaf parsley would be good, too.