Beetroot Leaves & Stalk Soup

Beetroot, Leaves and Stalks

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1-1.5 kg beetroot leaves and stalks
• 1.5 litres chicken stock  (or water plus three  stock cubes)
• salt and black pepper  
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce

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Cretan Market Stall, Agios Nikolaos

Those of you that have read my Cretan cooking blogs before will know that I love to twist Greek terms to something in English. I do this all the time to help me remember difficult Greek words. This time it has a connection with my up and coming new book, Harry the Louse, because the Greek word for beetroot, παντζáρι, is pronounced 'pants Harry'. I leave it to you to decide whether 'pants' is a noun or a verb!

Unless you have an allotment or a farmers’ market where you live, you might be a bit stymied with this recipe because beetroot is mostly sold without the ‘tops’. However, as with much Cretan village cuisine, ‘waste not want not’ is a central theme. It is said that in wartime, Cretans survived on snails and horta, which is basically a dish of weeds much like dandelions. Here our markets and many ‘supermarkets’, sell beetroot complete with leaves and stalks and you pay by the kilo for the privilege. Last week I bought eight small beetroot (I prefer the small ones for roasting whole) and of the 2kg total, more than half was leaves and stalks, much too valuable as a food and vitamin source to be thrown away.

This recipe is not a well-publicised Cretan dish in the usual sense of the term, but is more an adaptation of the principle of being frugal, a consideration that modern society might rediscover.

A word of advice (well several words):  A recipe gives the basics but the chef makes the meal taste good. Once you have the basic soup it is for you to add this and that until it is superb. Now to me, good food is a ‘whole tongue’ experience…all of it ideally should be involved, because without that balance, some ‘je ne sais quoi’ will be missing’. I am NOT a chef, but I am a glutton, so I add things until my glutton’s tongue is happy. Do not be afraid to add a little sugar, honey, lemon, or Worcester sauce for instance, until you like what you have made. If this frightens you, put a little in a bowl and try your additives. My Beetroot Leaves and Stalk Soup won’t be exactly like yours, but so what?

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Beetroot Leaves and Stalk Soup

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in large saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
2. Add the potatoes and fry for a further two or three minutes.
3. Add in the beetroot stalks and leaves (make sure that they have been washed very well), then pour in the stock.
4. Add the herbs and season. Cover with a lid, simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Use a handheld blender or liquidiser to blend the contents to a smooth soup.