Beet Soup for Baby

31

Aug

There’s nothing more comforting than soup… except in 100° weather, which is what we’re having here in the great state of Texas.

But the baby still likes soup best of all. And it’s a great way to sneak veggies in his diet.

My neighbor from our previous home, Rosi, has been watching Luke on the random days that I have to work.  And she INSISTS that I must make him soup everyday.  Otherwise I am a “bad mother”, ha.  Well, it turns out he really likes soup, even the ones with spinach in them.

Luke and the Soup-Nazi, Rosi :)

The best thing about soup is that practically any veggie can be tossed into a flavorful broth to make a soup.

This week our Urban Acres veggie box included beautiful organic beets and yellow wax potatoes.  I love beets, but my mother’s beet soup is my favorite. The best way to describe it is, a Romanian version of the Russian soup, borscht.  It’s my favorite not only because it tastes pretty darn good, but it always brings back a flood of memories from my crazy, hectic childhood home.

So I called my mom today and got her recipe.  I didn’t do everything exactly how she said, but close! Here is my version.  Yummy!

Almost Mom's Beet Soup

Almost Mom’s Beet Soup

• 3 medium beets, peeled & grated (use large grater or food processor)*
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 medium yellow waxy potatoes, chopped
• 10-12 cups, beef broth (or chicken/ veggie)
• 1/2 head cabbage, shredded (optional)**
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 Tb. white vinegar***

1. Drizzle some olive oil in a soup pot.  With heat on medium high, add celery, onion & carrots to pot.  Saute until veggies begin to soften.

2. Divide shredded beets in half.  Add one half of the beets, broth, & potatoes to pot.  Bring to a boil.  Then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or until veggies are tender.

3. While the soup is simmering, take the remaining beets and saute with just a little oil over medium-low heat until tender.  This is a trick my mom told me… the beets that are boiling in the big pot will give off all their color.  Introducing these sautéed beets later will retain the beautiful fuchsia color of the beets.

4.  Once the veggies in the large pot are tender, add the cabbage and sautéed beets.  If soup is a little thick, add additional broth or water to the pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer another 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender.

5. Taste the soup and add salt & pepper as desired.

6. Add vinegar to soup for a touch of sourness.

* Wear gloves when handling beets, unless you don’t mind fuchsia-finger syndrome.

**I had cabbage that needed to be used, but cabbage is also used in traditional borscht recipes.

***Mom says you can also use a can of diced tomatoes, or chopped & peeled fresh tomatoes.  They are added when the cabbage is added.

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