Roasted Beet and Carrot Soup

I'd been meaning to get this post up for quite a while, more than a year, so finally... here it is.
During my (generally) bi-monthly Saturday walk to the farmers' market yesterday, I had hoped to find what I needed. I was in luck.

I'm grateful to have such a great place close enough to walk (or have a mini-trek). In addition to finding an organic booth of vegetables with all roots $2 per pound (yippee), I found some wonderful pears, blood oranges, and huge passion fruit (which I will be eating in my yogurt for breakfast).
I grabbed bleu cheese for the pears and crème fraîche for the soup from Cowgirl Creamery (!!!), and I was completely set.

The recipe is based on other beet soups, though this is rigged to my own preferences.
I think the ginger and lime are what really make it- bite and zing - and I think both need to be present.
Additionally, a bit of crème fraîche stirred into a bowl adds a nice creamy smoothness and a touch of nutty tang.
With all the roots, it's great for winter or spring- even though it's  a cold soup (it then follows that it also works as a summer starter).
Well... I serve it cold. But warm is an option.
Plus, it's an absolutely fantastic shade of magenta.
And other than the obvious visual, if you're not a beet person there's a good chance you might not even know there are beets by taste alone.

Of course, you can halve the recipe, but if you're serving fewer people I'd recommend making all of it and putting half aside in the freezer for someday down the line (it's like money in the bank).

(P.S. It's a vegetarian soup, but it becomes vegan without the crème fraîche.)


Roasted Beet and Carrot Soup
serves 8-10 as a starter

2 lbs. (a scant kilo) red beets
3/4 lb. (about 340 g) carrots
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup (60 ml) olive oil
10 cups (2.36 L) vegetable broth
8 sprigs of parsley
3-4 inches of ginger, divided into one 2 inch and one 1-2 inch portion
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 large cloves of garlic, minced

To serve:
lime wedges
crème fraîche or sour cream


Preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C).
Peel the beets and carrots and slice them into 1-2 inch pieces. Toss with about half the olive oil on a rimmed sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables until they're soft and browned a bit, flipping/stirring once or twice, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Peel the larger piece of ginger root with a spoon and slice it thinly. Place the sliced ginger in the broth along with the parsley.  Bring up to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the vegetable broth infuse.

While the vegetables are roasting and the stock is simmering, warm the rest of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sprinkle with a bit of salt.  Saute until softened and translucent, with a bit of caramelization. Add the garlic and warm through about minute, until you can smell it. Set the pan aside to wait for the vegetables in the oven to finish.

Finely grate the second piece of ginger and set aside.

When the vegetables are done, strain the parsley and ginger slices from the broth. Add the onion and garlic, as well as the roasted beets and carrots and the freshly grated ginger (if you're concerned about the amount, perhaps start with less and see what you prefer). Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook everything together about 10 minutes. 

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. After the soup is completely pureed, adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste (or more ginger while it's still hot if you so desire).

Serve warm with crème fraîche and lime wedges, or chill several hours and serve cold (with the same accompaniments).