Borsch s listyami…

…or beetroot soup made with leaves.

Not knowing whether beetroot leaves are a tasty and nutritious alternative to chard or a toxin filled time bomb of agonising death, I thought I’d better check their edibility before posting this recipe. Turns out they are perfectly benign and not dissimilar to the aforementioned chard.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about an hour
Skill level: a doddle

Ingredients

For the soup:

• fresh beetroot – peeled and diced – 250g
• leaves and stalks of said beetroot – roughly chopped
• 1 carrot – diced
• 1 onion – finely chopped
• butter – 50g
• 3 cloves of garlic – crushed
• vegetable (or chicken or beef) stock – 1 litre
• caster sugar – 1tbsp
• juice of half a lemon
• s & p

For a happy finish:

• soured cream or yoghurt
• fresh chives or dill

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the beetroot, onion, carrot, and garlic and cook on a low heat until softened – about 15 minutes.

Add the stock, beetroot leaves, sugar and a few twists of black pepper, bring to the boil and simmer for about 40 minutes by which time the vegetables should be tender.

Blitz with a hand blender until perfectly smooth.

Add the lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with a large blob of soured cream or yoghurt and a generous scattering of chopped chives or dill.

Verdict: I think it tastes just like leafless borsch, but my co-blogger who has a superior palette thinks it tastes a little on the leafy side, so take your pick. Either way it’s a tasty soup to warm these damp days.

Still have more beetroots to use up? Why not try a Risotto or going way back in time, a pickle?

Drink: voda

Entertainment: Lunchtime RadMac