Autumn Beet Soup

It's fall! Time for some hearty vegetables, apple cider, and snow.

I got a bunch of delicious vegetables today from Chip, our C.S.A. farmer, as usual. I then realized we hadn't used up all the veggies from last week! In a desperate measure, I Googled just about every beet soup recipe, to no avail. Nothing sounded good. Adam is not a fan of beets to begin with, so I wanted to make something milder that didn't focus the flavor on the beets, which is really hard to do. So, with the tomatoes, a gigantic red onion, about four medium beets (between tennis and golf ball sized), and some other random vegetables, I proceeded to make the best beet borscht I've ever had. With some freshly made cornbread muffins*, this meal just hit the spot! I know I kinda crossed cultures with the cornbread and the Eastern Euro-style soup, but I will just call it Yooperfood...

Megan's Autumn Beet Soup (Mild Borscht)
1/4c EVOO
1 big red onion, diced
4 medium beets, chopped
5 large tomatoes, cut into big chunks
3 ears of corn, boiled for three minutes and cut off cob
1/2 c white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)**
1 c milk
2 tbsp thick Worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp dried ground mustard
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp Vindaloo spices
2 tsp Kosher salt
Grated extra sharp cheddar

Heat the EVOO in a stock pot over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the ground mustard, vindaloo, pepper, and salt. Stir and add red onion. Once the onion begins to turn transparent, add the beets and cover for five minutes or until beets are soft. Then, add tomatoes until warm. Put mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Return mixture to pot. Add corn, milk, Worchestershire sauce, and wine, and cook until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until ready to eat. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will get and the more the flavors will infuse. Serve hot with shredded cheddar and cornbread.

I may have missed that point of minimizing the beet flavor, but Adam actually said the soup tasted good, so I must have done something right. Give it a try, and be flexible with the ratios. If you like beet flavor, add more beets; if you don't, add more tomatoes. It's a great, hearty soup that is really good for you!!

*The cornbread muffins were gluten free. If you need a good recipe, try the one on the back of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornmeal. Delicious, wholesome, and easy to make. I used cornstarch instead of potato starch.

**Adam and I don't really drink white wine, but use it a lot in our cooking. We've discovered these trinkets (right) at EconoFoods, and they are perfect! We use just about a bottle, or half a bottle, when we cook, but we don't feel so bad when we don't end up drinking the remaining wine. They are like airplane-or-minibar-style wine bottles. These Gallo bottles come in a four pack, and are pretty cheap. I know, I know- crappy wine makes crappy food, I know the rule: but we're poor graduate students. Gotta cut us a little slack ;) And the wine ain't half bad!