Ingredients
- 6 beets
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1.5 liters of beef stock
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Dill to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C
Peel and quarter the beets. Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet. Place the beets in the center and drizzle with olive oil. Tie the ends of the foil together and fold them into a bundle. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes until tender – to check, poke the beets with a fork.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.
Add the roasted beets, sugar and beef stock. Mix, turn up the heat and cook until boiling. Lower the heat again, season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 30 minutes to allow the stock to absorb the flavors of the vegetables.
- transfer the vegetables and stock to a blender. Add the lemon juice and blend until the soup is smooth. Warning: Hold the lid of the blender firmly with a tea towel to prevent the hot steam from pushing the lid open. If your blender can’t handle the volume of soup in one go, blend it in two stages.
- Transfer the blended soup to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Taste after the soup has cooled to adjust the salt and pepper – the taste changes after it cools. Serve with lemon wedges, freshly whipped cream, dill and sardine toast.