Beet Soup (Céklakrémleves) hails from Transylvania with tarragon, lemon and sour cream. You don’t have to be Transylvanian Hungarian, but if you use tarragon, lemon and sour cream for a soup, you qualify. A popular Christmas dinner start with stunning red color.
Creamy Beet Soup (Hungarian Céklakrémleves)
You don’t have to be Transylvanian Hungarian, but if you use tarragon, lemon and sour cream for a soup, you qualify. A popular Christmas dinner start with stunning red color.
Equipment
- strainer
- Garlic press
- Blender
Ingredients
- 250 g beetroot in whole
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup onion diced
- 1 garlic minced
- 400 ml vegetable broth (low-salt)
- ½ tsp Vegeta
- ½ tsp tarragon
- 1 egg yolk*
- ½ cup sour cream*
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 2 TBSP pumpkin seeds freshly roasted
Instructions
- Wash the beetroots and chop off the two ends. Don’t peel them. Pour over the veggies just enough water to cover, then cook them for 50 about minutes.
- Strain the beetroots. Save half cup of the cooking water, discard the rest. Set aside.
- Peel the beetroots and roughly dice them.
- In a medium pot, sauté the diced onion on the oil till it becomes glassy, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic, sauté it about 30 seconds.
- Add diced beetroot, vegetable broth, the half cup cooking liquid, Vegeta and tarragon. Cook the soup for 5 minutes.
- Pour it into a blender and blend till smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- In a cup mix the sour cream and egg yolk. Dilute mix with a half a cup soup. Add to the rest of the soup, along with the lemon.
- Pour the sour cream mix into the soup, stir it well.
- Serve it hot. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds. (No need to use oil for the seeds.)
Notes
*Substitute sour cream with coconut cream for vegan version, and skip adding egg yolk.
