From the Veg Patch by Kathy Slack

Author:Kathy Slack [Slack, Kathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2021-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

beetroot soup with mackerel crumb

Serves 2

25 minutes, plus 2 hours to roast the beetroot

500g whole, raw beetroots

80g fresh breadcrumbs

10g butter

1 tsp thyme leaves

2 smoked mackerel fillets, roughly 150g total weight, skin removed

2 tbsp crème fraîche

Yes, I know. This one sounds a bit cheffy. Normally I’d scoff at ‘crumb’. But that would be my loss, because the salty crunch of the mackerel (whisper it) crumb is a magnificent contrast to this sweet, velvety soup, and it really makes the beetroot sing.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.

Wrap each whole beetroot tightly in foil, put them on a baking tray in case they leak, and roast for a good 1½–2 hours, depending on the size of your beets, or until a skewer can be pushed through the middle without effort. The beetroot must be well cooked, otherwise it won’t purée. Take the tray out of the oven, unwrap the foil parcels, and, once cool enough to handle, peel the beetroots. The skins should slide off quite easily.

Chop the beetroots into chunks and put them in a blender with 300ml water and some salt. Blitz to a smooth purée, adding a little more water if needed to create a velvety-smooth soup. I use a high-powered smoothie maker for this, but a stick blender will do the job well enough – just be prepared to clean down the kitchen of the inevitable beetroot blood, which will be splattered far and wide.

Pour the soup into a pan and warm through over a low heat until hot but not boiling. Taste and season with salt as you see fit.

Meanwhile, for the crumb topping, put the breadcrumbs, butter, thyme, one mackerel fillet and some salt and pepper into a food processor and whizz until well combined. Now set a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the crumb mixture in the pan until golden brown – a matter of 3–5 minutes with some gentle stirring. Leave it unattended at your peril, as the crumbs burn in seconds.

To serve, pour the hot soup into warmed bowls. Swirl a spoonful of crème fraîche into each portion, flake the remaining mackerel fillet on top, then sprinkle over the crumb topping. Serve quickly or the crumb will go soft.

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