We call them "Beetroot" in NZ and I love them heaps! Check out this Russian Beetroot soup recipe...
Beetroot Soup
Ingredients:
Stock
1 kg of beef soup bones (with marrow).
300gm beef (optional).
4 litres of water.
1 carrot.
1 onion.
Salt.
Soup
4 medium sized beetroots.
2 large carrots.
2-3 potatoes.
1 onion.
1 can of Condensed Tomato Soup.
Water.
Cooking oil.
Method:
Stock (Bouillon)
Bring 4 litres of water to the boil in a large stock pot. Add the beef bones and reduce the heat to simmer. If the bones are lean of meat and fat, add a 300gm chunk of beef to the stock along with the bones. Simmer for two hours.
After one hour, add one medium sized peeled carrot, cut into two pieces, and one onion, peeled but left whole. The onion is added for flavour but also to make the stock as clear as possible.
Continue to cook the stock at a slow boil for approximately one more hour after adding the vegetables.
When the stock has boiled gently for two hours it can be drained through a fine sieve to remove the carrot, onion, meat and bone. Keep the meat and bones, and return the clear soup to the pot and place back on the stove.
Remove the meat and marrow from the bone and add back into the stock. Add salt to taste. Continue to cook at a low boil.
Soup
Peel and slice the onion. In a frying pan, add enough cooking oil to cover the bottom and heat. Add the onion and cook until golden. Cut the beetroot and carrot into julienne strips. Add to the onion mix.
At the same time as the onion mix is cooking, peel and cube the potato and add to the stock, cooking for around 10 minutes.
Mix in the contents from one tin of Campbell's soup into the stock, and enough water as suggested on the instructions on the can. Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.
Add half of the cooked vegetable mix and place the other half in sieve suspended in the soup for 5-10 minutes to add extra flavour.
OR
Add all the cooked vegetables, simmer for 5-10 minutes and remove half the vegetables at the end.
Serving
Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream.
