This is a delicious middle-eastern twist on beetroot soup, warm and filling.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 heaped teaspoonful of cumin seed
- 750g raw beetroot, peeled and diced
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- Approx 1 litre of water
- 3 tbsp wine vinegar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- a good pinch of sweet paprika
- 1 heaped tsp dried mint
- salt and pepper
- Greek-style plain yoghurt to serve
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in a large soup pan, and when it is hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt, and fry over a very low heat for around 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to fry for another minute or so, along with the cumin and paprika
- Add the chopped potato and chopped beetroot, and then cover with water, around 1 to 1 1/4 litre, and bring to a simmer
- Cook for around 20 minutes, until the beetroot is nice and tender. Use a soup blender to blitz it to a smooth mixture, and add the vinegars, mint, salt and pepper to taste. It needs quite a bit of salt.
- Serve with a goodly dollop of yoghurt in the centre, and flat breads and chopped herbs and a drizzle of good olive oil to garnish. This is also good without all the extras.