Rosy Leek and Potato Soup with Dill.

Last week I was delighted to I stumble upon a “proper greengrocer” just up the road from home in Westbury-on-Trym. What beckoned me in however was seeing uncooked beetroot for sale with some quite fresh looking tops still attached - something you don’t see that often. I suspect this is because they don’t keep very well and often become wilted and look unappetising. 

Once home I removed the leaves including the stalks and plunged them into some cold water to recover as they were beginning to wilt slightly. After cooking and pickling the beetroot I used the well washed green part of the tops lightly steamed as a vegetable with my main meal that evening, storing the red stalks in a box in the fridge waiting for inspiration as to how to use them

Towards the end of the week I decided to make leek and potato soup and remembered the red stalks from the beetroot which by now needed using. An appetising combination can be made by combining the lightly cooked tops with mashed potato so in full experimental mode I decided to chop the stalks and add them to the ingredients at the sweating stage. The soup turned a wonderful warm pink and the subtle flavour of beetroot was infused within the soup. Another spontaneous touch was the addition of some dill that I had recently dried from the remains a bunch of fresh dill.

Ingredients

1 or 2 leeks trimmed and washed well

3 or 4 potatoes peeled

half an onion red or white

a handful of beetroot red stalks washed well

2 cloves of garlic crushed, peeled and roughly chopped

a good pinch of dried dill (or a few sprigs of fresh)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 litre of vegetable stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish – Greek yoghurt or soya single creamand fresh chopped herbs of your choice (you could use any beetroot green tops you might have left over)

Method:

Chop the onions, leeks, beetroot stalks and potatoes roughly. 

Heat the oil gently in a large pan and sauté the onion until it starts to look translucent. Add the chopped leeks and stir though coating well with the oil. Cook gently until the leeks start to soften – add the garlic and cook gently 1 or 2 minutes until the aroma bursts through. 

If at any stage the ingredients start to stick to the pan add a small amount of the stock and stir through. 

Finally add the beetroot stalks and potato and stir through once more to combine the ingredients and cook gently for another minute or so. Add salt and pepper and the dill. Cover the pan and, if you have time, leave the ingredients to sweat for 4 or 5 minutes before adding the stock. Adding the stock bring to the boil simmer gently for 40-45 minutes. 

Once cooled blend the soup well. Reheat and serve garnished with any fresh help you have – I used fresh mint. Swirl a dash of Greek yoghurt through or single soya cream for Vegans.

I'm not sure which I relished the most - the knowledge I had used evey part of the beetroots or eating the soup! And it is perfect for these dark cold days - a feast for the eyes and the stomach and maybe a useful recipe for Valentine's Day?