Beet Ginger Soup

Some vegetables like fava beans, peas, and green garlic only show up once a year in my CSA box.  That's part of what makes getting a CSA box so exciting; the variety and ever changing content of the box.

Other items show up more faithfully than others in my CSA box week after week- beets, for example. While it's nice to have a go to recipe for beets, I have been searching for more creative ideas than roasted beet salads in an attempt to beat beet fatigue.  And thus I made beet ginger soup.



I used ginger to add a spicy kick to the beets, rather than adding more sweetness.  I pureed the soup and the resulting color was a beautiful deep purplish red, like nothing I'd seen before.  My kitchen looked like a crime scene by the time I was done making the soup. 



Overall, the soup was good and really interesting. It isn't something that I would crave, but definitely a welcome change from roasted beets.  I served it with a dollop of greek yogurt, which really softened the soup.

Beet ginger soup

4 medium sized beets, scrubbed, peeled, and sliced into halves and then each half cut into quarters
1/2" ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
fresh lemon juice to taste
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder or 1/2 tsp curry powder or 1/2 tsp ground cumin

garnish: dollops of greek yogurt

Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add olive oil, then onions, cooking for 5-7 minutes until translucent.  Add two generous pinches of salt, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs.  Stir to coat well, and cook for 2 minutes.  Add beets and stir to mix, cook for 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Continue to cook at a simmer for 30-45 minutes until beets are tender. Add 1 cup of water if needed.

Puree with a hand held immersion blender or once it cools, puree in batches in a blender.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Add lemon juice to taste.  Finish with spice of choice: five-spice powder, curry powder, or ground cumin.