Golden Beet Borscht
Borscht is one of my all time favorite soups. The traditional version, made with red beets, can prove a bit risky if you're as clumsy as me (I've dumped an entire batch from the fridge to the floor). So, I thought I would give a golden beet variation a go, that would still deliver star power flavor, while preserving my precious floors.
Ingredients:
1 bunch (or three large bulbs) of golden beets, peeled and cubed
2 red apples, cored and cubed
1/2 fennel bulb, cored and diced
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons algae or olive oil, for roasting
2 cups vegetable stock (homemade or prepared)
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
*Makes 2 servings
Preheat oven to 465 degrees (don't know why, it's just my go-to). Scrub beets and dry well. For this dish, I peel and slice the beets prior to roasting, simply because full bulbs can take an hour or longer to roast through. Additionally, that much time in the oven tends to caramelize the vegetable and while this result is insanely delicious, our objective here is to simply soften the beets enough to blend them later. This method, we are looking at 20 to 30 minutes, tops. Line a baking dish with parchment or tin foil and introduce your sliced beets, apples, fennel, and garlic to the party. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Check the texture after about 20 minutes and you should just about be at fork tender, depending on your oven. Be careful not to brown; a little is completely fine, but again, we don't want to caramelize.
Remove from the oven and transfer contents to your Ninja, Vitamix, or food processor. Blend the ingredients until completely smooth, adding a little bit of vegetable stock to thin out and ensure an even puree. Transfer to a medium pot set over low heat and thin with more vegetable stock until you have achieved a consistency that suits you. You may not need the entire 2 cups of stock; I simply suggest having that much on hand, in the event your consistency preferences lean towards a thinner result. From here, add the brown rice syrup and apple cider vinegar. Finish with salt and pepper and now it is time to plate.
For your final flouish, garnish to your eye's delight. Here, I've used sliced apple peel, reserved roasted beet and fennel fronds.
Enjoy!