BEETROOT SOUP WITH SPICY SEEDS AND COCONUT MILK
Coconut milk is definitely not a native Mediterranean ingredient and this soup was first developed as a way to avoid using heavy cream. Coconut milk is the liquid naturally found inside of mature coconuts. Coconut cream is essentially full-fat coconut milk, culled from the white, hard coconut “meat.” Sometimes coconut cream and coconut water are combined to create a smoother, more uniform coconut milk. Although coconuts are high in calories and fat, they do have a whole bevy of good things going for them. They’re good for digestion, fatigue and overall heart health, and coconut milk is great “brain food” because it provides a quick and efficient source of energy for the brain. The brain is actually primarily made up of fat and relies on a steady stream of it to function properly.
RATING
SERVES
4
PREP TIME
15 min
COOK TIME
2 h 5 min
Ingredients
- 6 large beets
- 6 allspice berries
- ½ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
- Greek sea salt to taste
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 large Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 small fresh or dried whole red chili pepper
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1- inch wide strip of orange zest
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 cups of water or vegetable broth or stock or a combination of the two
- 2 to 3 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- ⅔ cup coconut cream
- 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp pink peppercorns
- ½ tsp hot pepper flakes
- 6 fresh basil leaves or 12 to 18 fresh mint leaves
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃ ). Scrub the beets clean under running water and trim off the root and stem ends. Dry the beets with a kitchen towel. Rub them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Wrap the oiled, salted beets in aluminum foil, adding the allspice berries to the pack. Place in a shallow pan and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Remove, cool slightly, peel and chop. Discard the allspice berries.
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Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large wide pot and cook the onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the potatoes, chile pepper, cumin, curry, paprika, mint, and orange zest. Cover and lower the heat. Sweat the vegetables and spices together for
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8 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring them a few times. Add the cooked, chopped beets to the pot. Stir all together to coat in the oil and spices. Pour in the water and/or broth or stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 45 minutes, or until everything is very tender.
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While the soup is simmering, place the seeds, pepper flakes and peppercorns in a small dry skillet and toast, stirring, over medium heat. Remove and set aside.
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Remove the soup from the heat. Remove the orange zest. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and velvety. Adjust the seasoning with additional spices and salt and pepper, as desired. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the coconut cream into the soup and reserve the rest for garnishing the soup.
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Serve the soup in individual bowls. Swirl in a teaspoon or so of the remaining coconut cream and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Garnish with the toasted seeds and mint or basil leaves and serve.
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