Bloody Beetroot Soup | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh loves the tangy, savoury flavours of a Bloody Mary
and he like playing with them in the kitchen. In this very quick soup, they form the perfect counterpoint to the earthy sweetness of beetroot.

The soup tastes best lightly chilled but if you start with beetroot and tomato juice from the fridge, you should be good to go straight from the blender. Be aware that Worcestershire sauce may contain gluten. This recipe is taken from Hugh's new book, River Cottage Light & Easy, published by Bloomsbury.

• Order River Cottage Light & Easy, here: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/rivecott-2...

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INGREDIENTS (serves four):

200g cooked, skinned beetroot (vac-packed is fine, but not pickled!), roughly chopped
500ml tomato juice (from a carton or home-juiced)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
A healthy shake of Tabasco
Juice of 1 lemon
A good pinch of celery salt Freshly ground black pepper
1–2 shots vodka (optional!)

To serve:

Ice cubes (optional)
Tender inner celery stalks
Lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS:

Put the beetroot, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice, celery salt and some black pepper in a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency (add the vodka too, if you fancy it).

As with the best Bloody Mary cocktails, a bit of customised mixology can make all the difference. Taste the soup and tinker with the seasoning, adding more Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon, salt or pepper to suit your taste.

Pour the soup into bowls and add a few ice cubes if you like. Serve with celery stalks, lemon wedges and seasonings on the table.

Variation:

Beetroot and horseradish soup For a creamier but no less peppy spin on this soup, leave out the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and celery salt, but season generously with the lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper.

Add 2–3 teaspoons grated horseradish (from a jar or fresh from the root) and 4 tablespoons cashew cream (page 394) and blitz thoroughly. Serve lightly chilled.

• Download this recipe on the River Cottage website: http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/b...

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