Homemade Beet Soup

This beet soup was outstanding and very simple. The soups in Nourishing Traditions are all made from scratch using homemade broth or stock. Read this great article Beautiful Broth to learn the power in broth, stock and soups. The reason is that most commercial brands have a lot of additional ingredients that aren’t good for you and you simply don’t know how they are made. Additionally, soups at restaurants are made from a soup “base” that is largely made of hydrolyzed vegetable protein–which is loaded with neurotoxic MSG and related compounds.

I did not know that in many countries soups was and is a breakfast food. Children were often served soups or broths before school and people would generally start their day off with a bowl of soup, not cereal and coffee or pastries. Read this great article Broth is Beautiful to find out more!

The soups in Nourishing Traditions can be broken up into two categories. Clear unblended soups featuring  meat, vegetables or grains in a meat-based broth; and creamy blended soups. This beet soup was a creamy, blended soup. I suggest investing in a really nice handheld blender for the pureed soups. That little fancy gadget will make your life so much easy and making these soups a breeze. You can blend the soup right there in the pot. Beets are incredibly nutritious and healing. They are often used in other countries as a digestive tonic to help assimilate, heal and aid in digestion. Of course all of this info is at your fingertips in Sally’s book.

This soup was incredibly easy. I would also recommend doubling the recipe because it goes fast and buy nice size beets or buy more beets if they are small. I started out by washing the beets and then chopping them up into small pieces. I then placed them in a cast iron dutch oven with a lot of our raw cow butter and sautéed for about thirty minutes or until they were tender.

A side note, our gas stove isn’t calibrated correctly and low seems like medium, so I had to have a guy come out and recalibrate our flame. This is really important because you want to slow cook all of your food over a low flame to preserve the nutrients. Americans are

the only ones who incinerate their food.

After the beets were ready, I added water, simmered for a bit and then puréed. I let is cool for a few minutes spooned out in bowls and added creame fraiche and chives. This was a meal in and of itself.

A few other tips. Like many cream soups, they taste better with a dollop of cultured cream. However, Sally recommends making your own cultured cream and offers several recipes. I recommend using raw cream from your local farmer. You can find or making creame fraiche. You can buy this French sour cream at Whole Foods or other grocery stores, or make it yourself. I would make this in advance so it is handy in the fridge when needed.

Do not hesitate to add cultured cream to your soup for fear of eating too much fat. It supplies no only enzymes but also valuable fat-soluble vitamins. These fat-soluble vitamins are what your body needs too utilize the minerals in the soup.  Furthermore, cultured cream imparts a smooth texture and delicious taste, ensuring that your soup will be eaten with relish by young and old. Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

She also recommends using fish sauce in place of sea salt. It is full of valuable enzymes and lactic acid and helps aid in digestion and adds a delicious flavor to your soups.

Another excellent addition to soup is fish sauce. You can make this yourself, or buy a Thai or Vietnamese variety (called nam pla or nuoc mam).  These clear brown fermented sauces, made from small whole fish including the head and organs, are rich in iodine and other substances that benefit the thyroid gland. Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

Bon appétit !