Beetroot & Blood Orange Soup

Beetroot & Blood Orange Soup

A gorgeous, rich soup to add some colour to your table during the cold winter months. When in season, blood oranges add a special touch to this dish, but you can easily replace them with regular oranges throughout the rest of the year!

At The Paddock. Beetroot is a common ingredient in the veg boxes, but it is often one we are asked to swap out of the veg boxes. Hopefully this recipe will give you inspiration to make a quick & easy beetroot soup with a twist. Choose ingredients to suit your dietary requirements.

This recipe will require a blender.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 large beetroots, peeled and chopped
• 2 chillies, chopped (adjust to your desired spice level)
• 750ml-1 litre (3-4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
• Zest and juice of 1 blood orange
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Top it off (optional):

• 125 g (½ cup) crème fraîche
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Chives, finely chopped

Method

1. In a large soup pan or casserole dish, heat the olive oil over a medium heat.
2. Sauté the red onion, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the carrots, beetroots and chillies, and stir well.
4. Pour in the stock, as needed, ensuring the vegetables are covered. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30–35 minutes until the beetroots are tender.
5. Use an immersion blender or countertop blender (in batches if necessary) to purée the soup until smooth, then stir in the blood orange juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Serve hot, garnished with a dollop of crème fraîche, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of orange zest and chives.

Sourced from: The Happy Foodie, by Theresa von Wangenheim
from There’s a Soup for That