Faces look ugly when you're alone...

Imagine, if you will, you wake up in the morning and step out you door early in the morning. Everything is damp and fragrant, and vividly glowing green. The ferns and grass and weeds are sweet and sharp, lemony and herbaceous. The smell of wet earth mingles with the smokiness from a nearby chimney puffing. That’s what this soup is like! Except that it’s vividly pink, not green. The sweet earthiness of the beets, the smokiness of Spanish paprika, and the fresh green aromatic tarragon are lovely together. The carrots and tomatoes add a creaminess, that lends a helping hand to temper the strong beet flavor. I served  this with feta cheese toasts that had been liberally peppered. They contributed a nice contrast to the sweetness of the soup.

Beet,Carrot, and Tomato Soup 

2 T olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, cut into bite sized pieces

2 large tomatoes diced

1 1/2 cup beets diced (about 1/3 in pieces)

1 t thyme

1 t basil

1/2 t fennel seeds, crushed or chopped

1 t smoked paprika

1 T fresh tarragon

1/4 cup white grape juice

1 t balsamic vinegar

salt & plenty of pepper

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the shallot. Cook till it’s just soft and turning brown. Add the garlic, fennel, thyme and basil. Cook for a few minutes. Add the carrots and beets, stir to coat, and cook until the carrots starts to soften and brown. Add the grape juice, paprika, salt and tarragon. Cook for a few minutes, until the juice is reduced and syrupy. Add tomatoes and water to cover by about 1/2 an inch (for me it was 3 cups of water, but it will depend on the volume of your veg.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the beets and carrots are quite soft. Add the balsamic (and a tablespoon of butter, if you’re not interested in keeping it vegan). Puree carefully in small batches till it’s smooth and creamy. Taste for salt and add plenty of freshly ground pepper.

I ate this sandwich with my soup, and thought I would share the idea. It is a simple grilled cheese (fontina and goat), roasted red peppers, drizzle of balsamic, salt and pepper, finished with fresh basil. The cheese and smokey peppers complimented the bold beet soup perfectly.

Until tomorrow...Peace.