Beetroot and Rhubarb Soup

Whilst we can definitely see an improvement in the weather, grey clouds are not yet things of the past which means we don't have to give up soup just yet! We often have soup and salad for lunch as it is tasty, warm and quick. Jacki is particularly good at making huge batches of soup and freezing them in individual portions ready for an impromptu meal. The colour of this soup is truly amazing - deep vibrant pink. It is a happy soup and it will certainly get people talking about its colour, taste and sheer craziness. The rhubarb's tartness contrasts with the earthiness of the beetroot making for a wonderful mix of healthy goodness. We like things to look and taste good - presentation is important to us and this soup lends itself to being creative. Avocado has been used here as the pink and green look great together but a swirl of yoghurt or orange zest would be just as dramatic!

4 Beetroot
2 Rhubarb Stalks
2 Small Sweet Potatoes (approx 300g)
1/2 Small Red Cabbage (approx 200g)
6 Small Carrots (approx 300g)
1 Red Onion
1 Litre Vegetable Stock
Juice from 1 Orange
Zest of 1 Orange

Saute the red onion in a saucepan with a little olive oil. Roughly chop the carrots, sweet potato and cabbage and add. Stir and allow to cook for five minutes. Add the vegetable stock and simmer until vegetables are starting to tender.

In a seperate pan, add the rhubarb which has been cut up into 3cm chunks. Pour the juice of the orange over the rhubarb and cover, to allow to soften. This should take about 5 minutes.

If you are using pre-cooked beetroot, add the beetroot to the vegetables in the saucepan and allow to soften for a few minutes until you can slide a knife easily through all of the vegetables. If you have got raw beetroot, cut and tail them and place in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 30 minutes or until soft. Once cool, peel off outer skin and add to vegetables in other saucepan.

Once the vegetables are tender, switch off the heat and add the rhubarb and orange zest. Blend until smooth, adding more hot water if necessary to achieve the consistency desired. The beetroot tends to make the soup quite thick but if you prefer a smoother soup, add more water and stir to blend. For a really professional finish you might one to pass the soup through a sieve - we rarely do this as we like the texture of the vegetables to still be tasted.

Finish with a contrasting flourish and serve with chunks of bread and salad.

Charlotte & Jacqueline

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