Chilled Beet Soup

I really enjoy beets.   Generally, as soon as I get them home, I wrap them in foil and roast them in the oven for an hour so that I can use them in salads.  But it was hot last weekend, and I was in the mood for a cold soup.  Beets are wonderful in cold soups, and the color is exquisite.  Since I was making a trip to the farmer’s market, I wanted to make a “local” soup, using only vegetables I could pick up there.

I decided to use this recipe for Chilled Beet Soup with Dill Cream from Epicurious with a few minor adaptations:  no sugar, and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  I found that I wasn’t keen on the sprinkled dill on the soup—I liked the texture of the soup better without it.  I also discovered that the soup was just as good served hot as cold, so it will be a good soup as the weather cools too.

Here is my adaptation of the recipe:

Chilled Beet Soup

5 cups low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth ( I used chicken broth)
1 ¼ pound beets (1 bunch), peeled, chopped
1 onion , chopped
¾ cup peeled chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Greek-style yogurt

Combine broth, beets, onions, carrot and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium –low and simmer until vegetables are very tender.  Cool, then puree in blender in batches until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with chives and top with greek-style yogurt.