Today is one of those rainy days where you’re happy to stay inside, all warm & cozy. Now that Fall has arrived, there’s a bit of chill in the air.
Steve is away, so I’m left to my own devices. What a gift, a day to myself! That means that it’s the perfect day to make some soup. To me, soup is love, comfort, the warm blanket that I put over my shoulders when there’s a chill in the house.
My sister in law, Janet has been dropping hints that she’d love some of the beet and pear soup I made last winter. Luckily, Whole Foods had beautiful golden beets this week so I snapped them up and now, they are calling from my refrigerator.
- 3 Bunches Fresh Yellow Beets, washed and stems trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Sea Salt as needed
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic, smashed
- 1 Large Onion
- 2 Ribs of Celery
- 1 Carrot, peeled
- 5 Pears, peeled, cored and chopped
- 8 Cups of Chicken Stock, preferably homemade
- ½ Cup Vermouth
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Cup Light Cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take a cookie sheet and cover with a large piece of foil. Place the beets in the center and sprinkle the oil and salt over them. Rub the beets, coating them with the oil. Loosely close the foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour or until the beets are easily pierced. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel and chop the beets.
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot and pears. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add the roasted beets, chicken stock and vermouth to cover the vegetables in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
- Puree the soup with a hand blender (or work in batches with a regular blender) until the soup is smooth. Add the honey, vinegar, sour cream, salt and pepper to taste, then puree again until well blended and smooth. Serve warm, garnished with the blue cheese crumbles.
While the beets roast in the oven, I prep the remaining ingredients. There are some things stored away in the chest freezer that I can make use of today. I take a peek and find a ham bone, lima beans from the farmers market and a chicken/ham stock. Plus, there are sweet potatoes and Tuscan kale to be used, so before you know it, there’s another soup simmering away!
- 1 large Onion, cut in a small dice
- 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 lb. bag of frozen Lima Beans*
- 4 quarts of Chicken Stock
- 1 Ham Bone
- 1 Bay Leaf
- A pinch of Hot Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 1 Cabbage Wedge ⅓ of a Cabbage
- 1 large bunch of Tuscan Kale or Spinach, chopped
- 1 large Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
- Salt and Pepper to your taste.
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil to a shimmer.
- Sautée
- the onions until translucent about 5-10 minutes, do not allow them to color. Add the frozen lima beans and the ham bone, then pour in the stock. Set over medium heat until it comes to a slow boil and lower the heat until the liquid is barely simmering. Skim off any foam as needed. Add the bay leaf and hot pepper flakes (if using).
- When the beans are tender, add the hot pepper flakes, cabbage, kale and sweet potato. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning, and add salt, pepper and additional hot pepper flakes if using. Remove the bay leaf and serve warm.
- The soup can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated for 3 days before serving. It can be frozen up to 3 months.
As the soup cooks, the house smells wonderful, warm and inviting. There’s no such thing as too much soup when you have friends and loved ones to share it with. I’ll take a few quarts to Janet, then pack up a few quarts for our neighbors.
My friend Cindy is remodeling her kitchen so her house is a mess. A delivery of soup will brighten her day. Then, I tuck some in the refrigerator for myself. It’s the perfect treat for lunches during the week. What a wonderfully productive morning. This is the best way I know to brighten a dreary fall day for myself and those I love.
Beet and pear soup sounds like such an interesting flavor combo. The kale and ham soup sounds like the perfect fall and winter dish.
One of the best things about soup is making up a huge batch and freezing some for later! You friend is very lucky to be getting a delivery of this soup! Yum!
Isn’t it fun to pull soup from the freezer? I agree it’s such a treat!
I love making soup and it is something that we eat all year around. My favorite time to eat it is in the fall and winter though. For some reason they just taste better than. I love the heartiness of the soup with the greens in it. I know it would be a hit in my home.
I don’t eat ham but the beet with blue cheese soup sounds really good. Look forward to trying your recipe.