Beautiful Soup (Vegetable Soup With Beets, Dill and Orange Zest)

Name: Beautiful Soup (Vegetable Soup With Beets, Dill and Orange Zest)
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil; 3 medium onions, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 small beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice; 4 to 5 medium carrots, cut into 1/2- inch dice; 4 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1/2 medium celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice; 3/4 cup chopped dill; 2 quarts beef or chicken stock; 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice; Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Sour cream, for garnish; Dark whole wheat sour bread or other hearty bread, for serving

By Celia Barbour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating: 5(633)
Comments: Read comments

This is a sweet and buttery tomato-onion soup that evolved, many years ago, toward a kind of borscht, but stopped short. Borscht tastes too earthy for my palate. Tomatoes and orange keep the flavor a bit brighter and more acidic. The name comes from the colors: orange carrots, carnelian tomatoes, magenta beets. I serve it at home, at least twice each winter, with snow-white dollops of sour cream floating on top. It looks wonderful, tastes good, and is very healthful. And without my needing to say a word about mincing or dicing, it teaches my children about the satisfaction of a job well done.

Featured in: BRINGING IT HOME; To Cook for Children, First Master the Knife

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

6tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil
3medium onions, chopped into ½-inch pieces
4cloves garlic, minced
2small beets, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
4 to 5medium carrots, cut into ½- inch dice
4stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
½medium celery root, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
¾cup chopped dill
2quarts beef or chicken stock
128-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream, for garnish
Dark whole wheat sour bread or other hearty bread, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place flameproof casserole or other deep, wide pan over low heat and add butter or butter-oil mixture. When butter has melted, add onion and garlic; sauté until soft but not browned.
Step 2
Increase heat to medium-high and add beets, carrots, celery, celery root and half the dill. Sauté, adjusting heat as needed, until vegetables have released their liquid, dried and start to turn golden but not brown, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Add stock and tomatoes with their juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until vegetables are soft, about 45 minutes. Add orange zest and juice, and remaining dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream. Serve with hunks of bread.

Ratings

5 out of 5

633 user ratings

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Comments

Danielle Ivory7 years ago

I wanted to make this recipe vegetarian. So, instead of beef or chicken stock, I subbed in about two cups of water, a half cup of dry riesling, a half cup of grated parmesan, juice and zest from a lemon, a handful of fennel seeds and about a tablespoon each of soy sauce and tomato paste. The consistency was stewy, rather than soupy, but delicious.

Jennifer7 years ago

If I owned a soup cafe I would serve this on my menu and I believe it would be the most popular soup on the menu.

LB King7 years ago

Too much celery root for me. Substitute potatoes or beans. Also use just half of orange. Good soup for a winter day.

evan james silver2 months ago

They should call this 1/2” soup

Carrie3 months ago

This is a healthy soup that can easily be made vegan without buying any ingredients in plastic wrap. Fresh tomatoes can be substituted for canned. For that, it deserves five stars. Although I'm not obsessed with the final product, I also feel that soup lovers will appreciate a deviation from typical menu items in the States.

Gael4 months ago

We were massively impressed with the flavor, visuals, and texture of this soup. Used lighter colored beets because that was what my husband accidentally grabbed at the store. The soup was indeed beautiful. Followed others' advice and went light on the orange zest and juice and was glad I did. It made much more than two people can handle - we will have to freeze some.

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