Carrot beet soup

My love for various soups started with various packaged soups available from Knorr in the mid 90s and then of course there were delicious soups we would have on a weekly basis from those lovely little Chinese joints of Calcutta. Of course there was a weekly chicken stew made by the old man who was quite young back then. Whether they came from a package or not it served the purpose of giving exquisite pleasure. You see when you are immersed in Russian folktales, Enid Blyton etc where all those characters have various kinds of delicious soups. Ah those descriptions how can you settle for a plate of rice and pulse and fish.

My Mamma was fine with it as long as she did not have to  work too hard. Time spent in the kitchen was complete wastage in her eyes. So there I was growing up on Knorr soups half the week and then even without realizing I grew up, discarded any packaged item like the plague when there was a healthy alternative at home and so the love affair continues and of course I tease my mother to no end.

Soups are always warm comforting and healthy, many an article says that a bowl of soup before a meal curbs appetite and you end up eating less yet getting all the nutrition from the soup itself.

Ah Winter my love, the riot of colours everywhere is a pleasure alright and I craved love, I craved any shade of red and so carrot and beet soup it was on a gloomy Sunday evening. The weather has been gloomy right from the start of the day and this soup just added that much required splash of colour or I had 3 carrots and 2 beet roots which needed immediate cooking. :D

I did talk about the immense power of a simple chicken stock and this is the perfect example of how it can jazz up a simple soup. Feeding vegetables to your children will never be a problem again.

What went in

3 medium sized carrots
2 small beetroots
700ml to 800ml Chicken stock (from an earlier post)
Salt as per taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp (fresh)  finely chopped dill leaves
Pepper as per the hotness you can handle. (use freshly ground pepper for superior taste)
4 to 5 medium sized pressed garlic
1 small - medium sized onion

Dice the carrots , onion and beet , press the garlic. Saute the garlic in olive oil till that intoxicating beautiful aroma hits your nostril. Add the onions and saute a bit and then add the carrots and beet and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add half of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered till vegetables are cooked thoroughly. Drain the vegetables and let ti cool and then blend away with a little bit of chicken stock to make a smooth paste. It has to be smooth. One useful tip for making it smooth is to use a small blender and blend it bit by bit. transfer everything to a big pot , add all the chicken stock and then bring to a slow boil and add salt and pepper . remember that the chicken stock will already have salt content so add carefully.  Simmer till desired consistency is reached. Since the vegetable has already been pureed it does not take much time and then you have a lovely bowl of thick delicious colorfulness waiting for you to slurp away.