Bay Leaf Beet Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap beets in foil.
• Bake the beets until tender, about 1 hour; allow to cool, then peel the beets. Cut them into bite-size chunks.
• Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, and cook the red onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in the beets, bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, cinnamon, cumin, and tarragon. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the flavors of the bay leaves and spices are blended, 20 to 25 minutes. Pick out bay leaves.
• Ladle about 1/4 of the beets into a blender, and add soup liquid as needed to fill the blender about 1/4 full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the beets and broth moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree the beets until smooth, and pour back into the soup.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan set over moderate heat cook beets and onion in butter, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add broth, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste and simmer soup, covered, for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return soup to saucepan, stir in cream and vinegar and bring soup to a simmer, stirring, until heated through. Garnish each serving with cream and dill, if desired.;

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cover the beets with cold water by l inch. Stir in 1/4 cup of the vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel the beets. Dice the beets and set aside.
• Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery, leeks, garlic, and caraway seeds and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 minutes.
• Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot with the beets, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes to bring the flavors together.
• Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Season with pepper to taste. To serve divide among warm soup bowls, top with dollops of the sour cream and sprinkle with the dill. Serve with additional vinegar at the table.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté 3 minutes or until tender.
• Add broth and next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes or until the beets and potato are tender. Be sure to discard bay leaf at this point.
• Puree mixture using an immersion blender. You may also use a blender or food processor, being sure to process in 3 batches. The blender will probably give the smoothest results, but I thought the immersion blender gave satisfactory results (plus was easy to use). Return pureed mixture to the pot if necessary. Warm soup over low heat 5 minutes. Remove and stir in lemon juice.
• Remove 1/2 cup of the soup and transfer this into a small bowl. Combine it with the sour cream, stirring with a whisk.
• Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top each serving with one tablespoon of the sour cream mixture. Using the tip of a knife, swirl the sour cream, making a pretty design.
• This recipe makes 8 servings (3/4 cup each) at 74 calories.

Steps:

• FOR THE BEEF STOCK: Combine the beef brisket and 2 quarts of cold water in a heavy 4 to 5 quart enameled or stainless steel casserole. Bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile skimming off the foam and scum as they rise to the surface. Add the bacon, onion, parsnip, carrot, garlic, parsley root, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for about 2 hours, or until the brisket is tender and shows no resistance when pierced deeply with the point of a small skewer or knife.
• With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the brisket to a plate and drape foil over it to keep it warm.
• Strain the contents of the casserole through a fine sieve into a deep bowl, pressing down hard on the bacon bits and vegetables with the back of a spoon to extract all their juices before discarding them. With a large spoon, skim off and discard as much of the surface fat as possible. Return the stock to the casserole.
• FOR THE BEET STOCK: In a 3 to 4 quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan, bring the grated beets and 5 cups of cold water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, stir in the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the salt, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a glass or ceramic bowl, pressing down hard on the beets with the back of a spoon to extract all their juice before discarding them.
• The beet and beef stocks may be set aside at this point if you wish to use the brisket to make meat stuffed buns (Ukrainian Filled Yeast Pyrizhky (Stuffed Buns with Variations) see recipe, usually accompanying the soup.
• Just before serving, combine the stocks, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the lemon juice and sugar, and bring to a boil over high heat. Taste for seasoning and serve at once from a heated tureen or individual soup plates. If you have not prepared the pyrizhky, the brisket may be sliced and served with the soup. Serves 8 to 10.

Steps:

• Bring beets and water to a boil in an 8-quart pot, covered, then reduce heat slightly and cook at a low boil until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer beets with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving liquid in pot. Add carrots, cabbage, celery root, bay leaf, dill sprigs, salt, and pepper to liquid in pot and briskly simmer, partially covered, over moderate heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then pour soup through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel or cheesecloth into a large bowl, discarding solids (you will have about 7 cups broth; if you have less, add enough water to bring total to 7 cups).
• While vegetables cook, peel beets and coarsely grate using large holes of a box grater.
• Slowly whisk 1 cup broth into sour cream in a bowl until blended, then add to soup along with grated beets, chives, and chopped dill. Cool soup completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, cabbage and onion and sauté until cabbage softens, about 5 minutes. Add 8 cups broth, beets and tomatoes. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Working in small batches, puree 4 cups of soup in blender; return to remaining soup in pot. If desired, add more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin soup. Add lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with parsley. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

Steps:

• To make the "beet water," roughly chop 2 pounds of the beets (select the smaller ones), preferably in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Place the chopped beets in a large stockpot. Add 10 cups of water and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
• Place the stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours. (If it seems like the liquid is evaporating too quickly, you may need to cover the pot partially with an offset lid.) The beets should be extremely soft and the liquid bright red.
• Strain the liquid, pressing the cooked beets against the side of the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp or reserve. Set aside the beet water. You should have just about 4 cups.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 pound of whole beets in a separate large stockpot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beets are tender-firm, about 40 minutes. When the beets are cooked, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar and set them aside to cool.
• When the whole cooked beets are cool enough to handle, peel them; the skins should slip off easily. Grate the peeled beets on the largest holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the grating blade.
• To make the broth, place the pork butt in a large stockpot and add the beef stock. If necessary, add a little more stock or water to cover. Add the bay leaf, allspice berries, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the meat is tender and beginning to fall apart, about 2 hours. Set the pork aside to cool. When the pork is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pot and cut the meat into ½-inch cubes. Strain the broth and discard the bay leaf, allspice berries, and peppercorns. Reserve the cubed meat and 4 cups of the broth.
• To cook the vegetables, place the carrots and celery in a large stockpot and pour the reserved meat broth over them. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the carrots and celery are just tender, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage and potatoes and continue to cook until the potatoes and carrots are easily pierced with a pairing knife but keep their shape, 15 to 20 additional minutes. Add the lima beans and cook for 5 additional minutes, just to meld the flavors. Gradually add the remaining 7 tablespoons white vinegar, tasting between additions and stopping when the flavor is to your liking. Remove the soup from the heat and set aside.
• To compose the soup, in a large soup pot combine the "beet water" and meat broth with the vegetables. Add the cubed pork and the grated beets. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over low heat. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.