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| Beet, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Beef Broth Soup |
It’s chilly and dark outside, and I am in the mood for soup. Not to mention – I had a big pile of roasted beets to use up. Beets are often paired with goat cheese outside of a soup, and with beef in a soup, as with Borscht. With an empty space where my wisdom tooth used to be, I’m going for foods that require little to no chewing at the moment, so Borscht, as much as I love it, was off the menu.
I decided to pair beets with both goat cheese and beef in broth form (it was actually broth made from deer bones, but if you don’t have those, beef is the perfect and most likely substitute), and added a little thyme as it just goes so well with all three flavors. This makes a smooth, thick, colorful, satisfying soup. Neither the flavor of the beef nor the goat cheese stands out. They are like the supporting cast, keeping the beet from being to saccharine sweet by adding umami and depth with the broth and a balancing tanginess from the goat cheese. This soup tastes of beets at their absolute best.
This makes a very thick soup. If you like your soups thinner than this one, stir in a little extra hot water after you puree it. So delicious. It’ll make you want to keep beets around all of the time.
Beet, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Beef Broth Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
4 large beets, roasted*, cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
100g /7 oz goat cheese**
salt and pepper to taste
In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high, heat your olive oil and add the onion and carrot. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent; about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add the beef broth, water, and beets and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the goat cheese. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully pour the soup into your heat-proof blender container and blend until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve. The reason I don’t specify an amount for salt in pepper here is that the seasoning level in beef broth varies a lot depending on the brand you choose. I almost always make my own, and season salt it very lightly so I have better control later. If you are buying beef broth, choose a low-sodium version if possible.
Pour into bowls and garnish with fresh time and a drizzle of olive oil.
Serves 4 generously.
*If you need to roast the beets, here is how to do it: Heat your oven to 200°C/400°F. Wash and scrub the beets clean of dirt, but don’t peel or cut them. Prick each beet several times with a fork. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking tray. Roast 40 – 50 minutes, or until they can be easily cut into with a butter knife. Remove from oven. Allow the beets to cool enough so you can handle them (wearing thick rubber gloves is a good idea), and then peel the skin off with a vegetable knife or peeler. Proceed with the recipe.
**I have used both soft chèvre and goat cheese in a firmer, log form for soup. Both work quite well. I don’t trim the edges off the goat cheese logs as it melts down and smooths out once you puree it, but if it bothers you, you can trim it. Just make sure you allow for the extra goat choose to make up for the lost weight when trimming.