Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Weekend Cookbook Challenge 30 - Farmers Market

This past Saturday was the best market so far this year. The crowds! The lines! The stands sold out of stuff by the time we got there! We came home with a great haul, and it was out of that pile of goodness that I chose my ingredient to be used in this months Weekend Cookbook Challenge, hosted by Michelle of Je Mange La Ville.

I did have some help in choosing a recipe this month, because before we left for the market that morning, I watched an episode of Forever Summer with Nigella Lawson, and she made cold beet soup. And then, at the market, of course there were beets everywhere. I had planned on buying two bunches; one for beet soup and one for my favorite Vegetarian Salad Nicoise, but in my excitement (yes, I know I am sad) I only bought one bunch. I was torn, TORN! between which dish I should make, but the soup won out as I hadn't made it before.

This was alright. I thought it was a little too heavy on the spices, maybe I should have cut them back by half to start. Scott really liked it, so maybe it's just me. The color was shockingly pink and really pretty. And a little bowl of cold soup on a hot day is so refreshing.

Email Michelle your post for WCC 30 by July 27 at mlbATjemangelavilleDOTcom.

Spiced Pink Soup
Nigella Lawson, Forever Summer

2 large or 3 medium raw beets (i used my whole bunch)
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
7 cups heated chicken or vegetable stock (i used 6 cups of veggie stock)
salt and pepper
2 green onions, halved lengthwise
1 cup plus 2 tb sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400'. Wrap the beets in foil and bake for 1 to 1/2 hours until tender. Let cool. Peel and cut into chunks. Place the beets in the food processor with the lime juice, cumin and coriander, and puree, while adding the stock through the funnel. You may have to divide soup into 2 batches. Season with salt and pepper, then pour into a container, add the green onions, cover and refrigerate until cold. When ready to serve, remove the green onions and whisk in the sour cream (Nigella put back in the food processor, but I'd already washed mine, so I just whisked). Serve cold.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh, i love the color!! :)

Brilynn said...

That colour is crazy... I really like roasting beets, they get so sweet!

kickpleat said...

my parents always made cold beet soup in the summer, but i've always hated it. this, however, looks amazing and i'll definitely try a batch this summer. yum.

Anonymous said...

I'm so not a beet person but for crying out loud it's PINK SOUP! I have to try it just because of the color alone!