Rich, ruby-red and sweet, thanks to the roasted baby beets, this is one of my absolute favourite soups. It captures everything I love about this vegetable.
| Serves 4 2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
8 large beetroot, peeled and diced
1 litre Vegetable Stock
12 baby beetroot, unpeeled
salt and pepper
sprig of thyme
150ml crème fraîche
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Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the diced beetroot to the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, place the baby beetroot in a roasting tin and season well with salt, pepper and the sprig of thyme. Roast in the oven for 10–15 minutes, until soft. When the beets are done, peel off the outer skin – it should simply slip off – and set aside.
When the soup is ready, pour into a blender or food-processor and whizz until smooth. Remember it will be very hot, so be careful. Pass the soup through a fine sieve, pour it back into a clean saucepan and keep hot over a low heat.
To serve, divide the roasted baby beetroot into four bowls. Pour over the soup and finish with a spoonful of the crème fraîche.
