Soups are a surprisingly popular choice on the menu, surprising because I would never choose a soup to start and can’t imagine why anyone would. Still, they do, and so I’ll pop one on the menu from time to time….my gift to the people. The rule is then that if a soup is to make it on to the menu, it needs to have some considerable pulling power. Beetroot soup doesn’t particularly, at least not until it’s loaded with other goodies like smoked mackerel, pancetta, and a good dollop of cream laced with horseradish.
The best beetroot soup I ever made was with beef stock, but for this version I make a robust vegetable stock; I shan’t bore you with the details but if you were going to make your own, be sure to include a bulb of fennel and a handful of mushrooms in the mix. I also add 3 or 4 tomatoes, cut open, drizzled with olive oil and roast in a hot oven first. If you do skip making your own stock, I would recommend adding the roasted tomatoes to the soup as it simmers, for extra depth of flavour.
For a silky smooth soup I find grating the raw beetroot first rather than chopping it is the way to go. However if you intend to do this by hand consider wearing rubber gloves.
Ingredients
(Makes 1.2l of finished soup, easily enough for six people)
4 x raw beetroot, peeled and grated (or chopped)
2 x small onions, finely chopped
1 x clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 litre hot stock
2 x tablespoons olive oil
4 x tomatoes (optional)*
1 x smoked mackerel (2 fillets/one fish), flaked
1 x rasher of pancetta per person
150ml double cream
2 x tablespoons creamed horseradish
(Roast the tomatoes for 30 minutes in a hot oven first, if using.)
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, adding the onions and garlic once hot and sauté until starting to brown.
Add the grated beetroot to the pan (if using the tomatoes pass them through a sieve with the back of a spoon and add them to the pan at this stage). Add three quarters of the stock and cover the pan with a lid. Let the soup simmer gently for 45 minutes, then test the beetroot and check the stock level.
Continue to cook the soup until the beetroot is completely soft, then blend in a food processor in 2 or 3 batches. Taste each batch for seasoning adding salt and pepper at this stage, add a little more stock if a thinner consistency is desired.
Whisk the cream by hand with a pinch of salt, a grinding of black pepper and a pinch of caster sugar. Fold in the horseradish at soft peak stage and refrigerate until needed.
Pan fry the pancetta until golden then remove to a piece of kitchen paper to crisp up.
To serve, divide the soup between the bowls, and top with the flaked mackerel, a dollop of the horseradish cream and the pancetta.