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Autumn

Beet Soup that’s not Borscht: Curried Golden Beet and Carrot Soup with Lemongrass

I know, sounds sort of weird I thought too, but this spontaneous invention tasted absolutely delicious.  Over the holidays, I was lucky enough to head back to San Francisco, my old stomping grounds.  One night we ventured into the Mission neighborhood and had dinner with some of Aimee’s family at Frjtz.  Frjtz is really a Belgian/French casual dining restaurant serving excellent Fries (chips really), crepes and best of all as I learned, Mussels.

So I spent a lot of time growing up on the Maine coast, so I’ve eaten my fair share of mussels – but these mussels were out of hand.  Steamed in a coconut milk broth with lemongrass, they were hot and savory and delicious.  I set out to recreate the flavors of this dish with my own spin, adding a few flavors but mostly changing the base of the dish into a vegetable soup.  What was produced was just as delicious, though you can expect those mussels to show up here at some point as well, they were too good not to try a re-creation.

Beets are awesome.  One of the last time I cooked with them, I made red beet bruschetta with caraway seeds and Parmesan.  Not only were my hands and fingernails pink for days, but my whole digestive system was affected too, as you might imagine.  These golden beets I used in this dish are sweet mild and delicious.  The consistency of beets lends itself perfectly for a soup – a puree of beets mixed with some coconut milk, leeks and other root vegetables has a very silky texture, as I found out.  Almost the perfect soup for winter warmth on a cold night.  Here’s how it went down:

Ingredients:

• 2 medium/large golden beets – peeled and cubed
• 1 large yellow onion – coarse diced
• 2 leeks, white parts only – halved and cut into half moons
• 2 large carrots – cubed
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 small piece of ginger – peeled and diced
• Lemongrass – about 6 inches of the stalk – end cut off, quartered lengthwise and cut very thin
• 1 can (lite) coconut milk, a little more to finish with too is really good!
• 2 cups stock – vegetable or chicken works
• 2-3 Tbsp. Madras curry powder – to taste
• Pinch of nutmeg
• A few basil leaves (Thai basil preferred!!) – Chiffonade
• Salt
• Vegetable oil to coat pan

Start by prepping your veg.  Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add the oil.  Sautee the vegetables, adding the onions first (SALT), let the onions sweat, then add the carrots, leeks, basil, ginger and garlic, then the beets and lemongrass almost immediately after and a bit more salt.  Let the vegetables sautee for a few minutes, but do not let them brown at all.

Add in the stock, coconut milk and the curry powder and cover the pan.  Let the vegetables cook until they are soft.  Add the nutmeg and a little more curry powder and transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until very smooth.  If you don’t attain the right consistency, run the mixture through a fine sieve.  Garnish with a little basil and serve.

Serves 4 (or more)

Tags: beet soup, carrot ginger soup, Carrots, carrots and beets, curry carrot soup, curry soup, golden beet soup, golden beets, lemongrass, lemongrass soup