Here is a delicious winter recipe by Chef Jean-Pierre from The Polo Club Restaurant.
This tasty dish starts with roasting butternut and brown onion with honey and cinnamon sticks, then placing the vegetables in a pot with stock and simmering them for 30 mins before blending them into a perfectly smooth soup.
The beetroot is roasted with red onion and garlic until crisp, then placed in a pot with vegetable stock and thyme and allowed to simmer for one hour. This mixture is then blended to a slightly chunky texture, allowing for a beautiful contrast of textures when combining the two soups.
Ingredients for butternut soup:
600g butternut, peeled and cut into small cubes
200g brown onion, finely chopped
40g cinnamon sticks
100g honey
1L vegetable stock
80ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper to taste
Method for butternut soup:
1. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Toss butternut and onions together
3. Place butternut and onions in an oven dish
4. Add cinnamon sticks, salt and pepper to the vegetables
5. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables
6. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes (tossing vegetables every 10 minutes to prevent it from burning)
7. Once the butternut is soft, add the contents of the oven dish to a large pot
8. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
9. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
10. Now blend the vegetables together with the stock in order to get a smooth consistency
11. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed
Ingredients for beetroot soup:
400g beetroot, peeled and cut into slices
150g red onion, finely chopped
20g fresh thyme
1L vegetable stock
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper to taste
Method for beetroot soup:
1. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Toss beetroot and onions together
3. Place vegetables in an oven dish
4. Add thyme, salt and pepper to the vegetables
5. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables
6. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes (tossing vegetables every 10 minutes to prevent it from burning)
7. Once the beetroot is tender, add the contents of the oven dish to a large pot
8. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
9. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 40 minutes
10. Now blend the vegetables together with the stock in order to get a slightly chunky consistency
11. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed
Now that both soups are ready, place about 200ml of each soup into two small jugs
At the same time, start pouring each soup into the bowl, one soup in the left hand and one soup in the right hand
*Tip – when working with beetroot, always use latex gloves in order to prevent discolouration on your hands. The colour of beetroot can stain your hands for up to 3 days, even by scrubbing and using the finest soaps.