Hello lovelies, as mentioned before on Instagram, I was a busy bee for you. And now I’m thrilled to share with you: Christmas menu Part 1 – beetroot soup with ginger and orange. I have to admit there are worse things in life than cooking and tasting a delicious Christmas menu. But well, someone has to do it.
Starter
Let’s begin with a yummy starter. I think it’s best to start with a light course when serving a multi-course menu. Soup or salad work perfectly here. This time I decided to make a soup out of beetroot, ginger and orange. I can tell you in advance it turned out very delicious and you will score points with your loved ones for sure. I used crispy carrot chips from the oven as a topping. They match very well and are a beautiful color contrast.
You can use precooked beetroot for this soup, which helps finishing the soup quickly. That’s optimal for your Christmas menu as you probably don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.
And here is the recipe for beetroot soup with ginger and orange:
Christmas menu Part 1 – beetroot soup with ginger and orange
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 shallots
- 1-2 cm 0.5-1“ ginger
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 600 gr /21 oz.) precooked beetroot
- 1 orange
- 350 ml 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pinch of pepper
- Juice of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 orange
- Perhaps some cream
- Ginger salt and pepper to season
Carrot chips:
- 3 carrots
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
Soup:
- Finely dice the shallots and ginger
- Sauté in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until translucent
- Dice the beetroot, peel and dice the orange and add both to the onions
- Add salt and pepper
- Deglaze with vegetable broth and let simmer with closed lid for 10-15 minutes
- Puree the soup and add juice of 1 orange
- Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated ginger
- Depending on your taste you can stir in some cream if you like
Carrot chips:
- Peel the carrots and cut them into very thin slices (or use a grater)
- Add all other ingredients, mix well and spread onto a baking pan with baking paper
- Bake at 200°C (392°F) for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy
The color of this soup alone is a highlight, but the taste is in no way inferior to the color. Even the kids liked the soup – well, pink attracts girls in almost any age :-). The delicate spiciness of the ginger with the light acidity of the orange and the earthy aroma of beetroot are simply an incredibly tasty combination. Carrot chips as a topping give it a nice bite. The soup is extra pretty with an orange star as decoration - just cut out a star from an orange slice and place it carefully on the soup.
Have you already thought about your Christmas menu? I've posted a whole vegan menu suggestion here last year, which was very well received and some of you have been cooking some of it. By the way this soup is not only for vegans, I guarantee even omnivores will love it.
And if you need an idea for your table decorations, have a look here. You can find many pretty ideas for a festive table set there.
I’m already looking forward to presenting to you Part 2 of the Christmas menu, which will contain delicious dips.
Love, Verena
This post is also available in: deutsch
