Golden Beet and Fennel Soup with beet top pesto

It is happening again. After three weeks of incredibly warm weather in Colorado, we are getting a cold spell as I write this. Just yesterday, I was walking around outside in a t-shirt and saw people laying outside sunbathing by the pool.  I am back to bundling up in my jacket and watching the freezing rain turn to snow outside.  Funny enough, I was praying for this weather for the past few weeks. I watched in pure jealousy how the East Coast people were getting more snow than us this year.  Trust me, I love warm weather but when it comes to maximizing my ski pass (my first ski pass for that matter!), I wasn’t too happy with many warm days in a row. I had pretty much given up.  So guess what, the skis are out again and I am making a trip this weekend to the mountains for what might be the last ski weekend this season!

I know I sound like one of those ski bums who are going backcountry terrain for days without shower and smoking unmentionable things.  I hope to reach that level one day (without the smoking part, of course!) but right now I am just happy to go down blues and some baby blacks. For someone who didn’t grow up around snow, learnt how to ski just an year ago, pretty much hated skiing and swore never to participate in this god awkward/awful sport with the heavy, un-yieldy boots, I feel like Lindsey Vonn on those slopes now.  Seriously, I love skiing and I can’t imagine why I hated it so much.

Actually I know why. The very first time I went skiing was in Pocono, Pennsylvania. I took a ski lesson with a bunch of my Indian friends. I don’t think either one of us had any clue as to what we were doing. I mean I was from Delhi, one guy was from Dubai..you get the idea.  It was icy and I struggled to put the skis on for 30 minutes. By the time we made it to the learning area, I was already mentally exhausted and wondered why I decided to partake in this useless activity and waste my weekend. We all did some basic drills on the ice..I meant SNOW. When the time came to move onto the bunny slopes, our entire group was asked to stay back since we were apparently NOT ready.  It was disappointing to say the least. I was looking forward to just ski down on my bum the entire way to get some adrenaline through my body.  We looked up towards the ski slopes and admired the people who were racing down the blacks like it was no big deal. It was a really big deal for me. I knew I will never EVER get there in this life.

Fast forward 8 years and here I am.  Going down blues and blacks like it’s no big deal.  Whenever I encounter beginners who are extremely fearful on the slopes, I just want to tell them – Have faith in yourself! Don’t give up ‘cos once you figure it out, there is no better feeling than to fly down a mountain surrounded by serene and beautiful scenery.

My first Breckenridge back bowl this season!

Enjoy this earthy beet soup in spring or fall.

INGREDIENTS

• For Beet Soup

  • 8 oz Golden Beets (about 3 small beets), scrubbed, washed, diced
  • 3 oz or 1cup Fennel, diced
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups water or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (if using store bought, add less since it has more sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (optional)

• For Beet Top Pesto

  • 5 oz or 4 loosely packed cups of beet tops, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

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INSTRUCTIONS

• For Beet Soup

  1. Heat a saucepan with olive oil. Add Fennel seeds.Toast until lightly browned. Add smoked paprika, shallots and garlic. Sauté for one minute.
  2. Add beets and fennel. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar. Add 1 cup of water.
  3. Cover and cook on medium heat until a fork can be inserted in beets (about 20-25 minutes)
  4. Transfer the contents of saucepan in a blender and blend until smooth. Add another cup of water and continue to blend.
  5. Return the soup in the saucepan and add maple syrup and orange juice. Once the soup comes to boil, turn off the heat. Serve with beet pesto and creme fraiche ( or greek yogurt). Omit yogurt or creme fraiche for vegan.

• For Beet Pesto

  1. In a blender, put everything else except for olive oil.
  2. Turn the blender on and slowly pour olive oil.
  3. If the blades get stuck, turn off the blender and use a spatula to mix everything together.
  4. Turn the blender on and continue to pour olive oil slowly. Repeat Step 3 if needed.
  5. At the end, the pesto should look creamy as the oil emulsifies into it. It should be around 1 to 1.5 cups
  6. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for a week and can be used on breads or in pastas.