roasted beet soup

i love borscht

really i do

especially on chilly nights

when 

stick to your ribs

is a necessity

sometimes, however

i like my beet soup

to be rich and creamy

without the meatiness of a borscht

that is when

i make this

vegetarian

(and vegan if you don't add the creme fraiche & butter)

it is light in heft

but not in flavor

roasted beet soup

(printable recipe)

1 lb beets-peeled*

olive oil

2 leeks--white and light green only--cleaned and cut in half

2 cloves garlic--peeled

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

4 cups vegetable broth (or water)

juice of 1/2 lemon + 1 tsp finely grated zest

knob of butter (optional)

1/4 tsp white pepper to taste (or more to taste)

salt to taste

serve with creme fraiche

preheat the oven to 350F. fill a roasting pan with the beets, leeks and whole garlic cloves.  cover lightly in olive oil and a bit of kosher salt.  toss to make sure the vegetables are all lightly coated in the oil. roast until fork tender (about 1 hour). allow the vegetables to cool slightly and then cut into medium size pieces (1 1/2-2").  toss the vegetables (beets, leeks, garlic), along with any pan juices into a stock pot.  add bay leaf, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and cover with broth.  gently simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.  remove the bay leaf and the thyme stalk.  toss in butter (if using) working in batches, whirl the soup in a blender or food processor, until smooth.  if it becomes too thick, add a bit more broth (or water).  pour into clean stockpot as your batches reach your desired consistency.  if you wish for smooth and silky soup, push the blended soup through a fine sieve.  add pepper and taste for seasoning.  serve hot with a dollop of creme fraiche stirred through

*for my soup i used a variety of colors, you can use whichever beets you have on hand.  use red to get the great color of this soup, but golden beet soup would be beautiful as well.

cheese glorious cheese

The lovely people and when I say people, I mean I was contacted by one person and got a note from another...so technically its people, at Sartori Foods sent me a package of cheese. A variety of ten to be exact.

They are wondering what I think

and I told them I would taste and play and let them know

so here I am

but first

a complete and total disclaimer

because it isn't like someone at Sartori Foods was cruising the internet and happened upon this blog and thought...I like her....let me send some cheese.

I have a connection

several actually

My MIL and her husband both retired from Sartori, my husband worked there when he was in high school, I have been at social events with the Sartori family. Okay FTC? You happy...full and total disclaimer.

that being said

Sartori Foods did not ask me to review, comment, discuss, endorse, in any shape or form, on my blog. I am doing it of my own accord

But they did give me free cheese.

and now we can get back to what this is all about.

I went to the farmer's market the other day and picked up a bunch of beets. I heart beets. I heart beets even though some stupid blood sugar or blood type diet tells me I shouldn't eat them.  Who am I to turn down loads of vitamin C and the earthy delights of such a beautiful orb?

Today for lunch, I shaved a beet

...hmmm that doesn't sound right.

I made beet ribbons with a vegetable peeler and made a nice little salad using Sartori Gorgonzola for a nice creamy and briny component.

The salad was perfect for a nice light meal, and I think would be delicious perched atop a pan roasted chicken paillard, or even a thinly sliced, medium-rare, cooked over an open flame---flank steak.

Oh yum!

Or

add poached pears and some watercress to the salad making it a bit more rounded

and composed.

Beet Ribbons with Gorgonzola
(printable recipe)

1 large raw beet--scrubbed clean

4-5 walnut halves--sliced into delicate bits

red wine vinegar

olive oil

black pepper

2 or 3 chives--chopped

gorgonzola cheese

Using a vegetable peeler, make fine ribbons from the beet.  Add just a bit of vinegar and let sit while you finely slice the walnuts (the reason I do this is so they match the delicate-ness of the beet ribbons.  If you prefer a nice big crunch from the walnut, leave them as is...it isn't critical to the recipe). Toss together the beets, the chives and then a bit of olive oil, just to make it glisten.  Add black pepper to taste and then pile the beet onto the serving plate or platter.  Top with walnuts and a generous slice of gorgonzola cheese. I do not add salt to this recipe as the gorgonzola is quite salty and carries enough brininess for the salad.

So What About The Cheese?

The gorgonzola is salty...but not offensively so.  As a matter of taste, I prefer my cheese to have impact on my palate.  It is also quite creamy, and I love that when I sliced a wedge for my salad it stayed intact. While it is my first instinct to not let food items stand alone...i immediately look for pairing opportunities...this gorgonzola can stand quite nicely by itself. As well, it would be scrumptious with a nice fig jam, some apple slices or a nice glass of port.