I’m not trying to make a borscht here but if you like beetroot, and I certainly do, this is definitely a meal in itself for lunch. The trick to retaining as much colour as possible is to cook the carrot and onion right through first before adding the cabbage, beetroot and celery, and then cooking it as quickly as possible. While I say vegetable stock I often use chicken stock for a fuller flavour, and if you don’t have vino cotto (or balsamic) a good squeeze of lemon juice will give that acid touch. It’s best of all served straight after pureeing without reheating, but it’s also great as a chilled soup. Serve it with a side of grilled zucchini for a more substantial lunch.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ red cabbage (about 500 g), thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons vino cotto
- 800 ml hot vegetable stock
- 2½ tablespoons verjuice or water
- 1 large stick celery, thinly sliced
- 1 medium–large beetroot, scrubbed and grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons natural probiotic yoghurt (optional)
- Coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley and crusty bread, to serve
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
How to Make It
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over low–medium heat. Gently saute the onion and carrot for 10 minutes or until soft. Increase the heat to high, then add the cabbage, half at a time but quickly, and stir until it begins to wilt. Add the vino cotto.
- Meanwhile, place the stock and verjuice or water in a saucepan over medium heat until hot (this helps speed up the cooking time for the vegetables to keep the colour as vibrant as possible).
- Add the celery and beetroot to the onion mixture and stir for 1–2 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the hot stock mixture. Bring the soup back to a rolling boil and cook just until all the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and stand until slightly cooled.
- Blend the soup until fairly smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls. Top with a dollop of yoghurt, if using, then drizzle with olive oil and scatter with parsley and orange zest, if using. Serve with crusty bread.
