Beetroot soup with feta and dill

It's October. Time to start thinking about warm vegetable soup for lunch as the days grow cooler and darker. As with all vegetable soups you can use as a base whatever vegetables you have to hand, but this one celebrates the humble beetroot, often overlooked and under-loved, which adds a wonderful earthy flavour and vibrant colour to the soup. Serve with some crumbled feta and pinches of fresh dill on top and crusty bread on the side for dipping.

Serves: 6-8 portions as a starter/appetizer; 4-6 portions as main part of a light lunch

Time to prepare/cook: Approximately 10-15 minutes to prepare the ingredients; approximately 30 minutes to cook the soup; 5-10 minutes to reheat after liquidizing. Can be frozen as needed; should last 3-4 days in the fridge.

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Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped roughly

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped roughly

• 2 stalks of celery, chopped fairly thin

• 2 large carrots, chopped in thin slices

• 1 large courgette, chopped in small chunks

• 2 large raw beetroots, peeled and top and bottom sliced off

• 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes (chicken gives more flavour, use vegetable for vegetarians)

• Teaspoon of herbs de provence

• Handful of fresh herbs e.g. basil, parsley, oregano, thyme (NOT mint)

• Water

• Olive oil for cooking

• Salt & pepper to taste

• For finishing the soup: Feta to crumble on top; fresh dill, washed and chopped/torn into small pieces to sprinkle on top

• Pots & pans needed: Large saucepan with lid if available, sharp knife for chopping

Method

• Chop all ingredients as noted above

• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large saucepan, along with garlic, onion, celery and carrot; cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until onion is softened; make sure to stir regularly to avoid sticking/burning and add a couple of tablespoons of water if the mix starts to stick

• Add all the other ingredients to the pan (except the feta and dill which are for garnishing afterwards), along with enough water to ensure all ingredients are well covered (probably about 500ml); add stock cubes and stir in as the water heats up

• Bring to the boil and turn heat down to simmer for 20-25 minutes until all the vegetables are soft

• Take off heat and use a handheld liquidizer (or put in a standalone liquidizer) to liquidize all the ingredients until smooth; add more water as wanted to adjust the thickness of the soup (should be fairly thick); add salt and pepper to taste

• Return to a gentle heat and warm through again (don’t boil)

• Serve with feta and dill sprinkled on top and crusty bread to dip