Recipe of the Week - 'Blood' Soup

Ah, now, don't worry. There is no blood whatsoever in this recipe! The name is just a result of the joys of living with boys, and the delight they take in the yuckiest things! 

The soup is actually made with sweet potato and beetroot, but thanks to it's vibrant colour, the first time my boys tried this they said it looked like blood. Far from putting them off trying it, it made them more eager to do so! And ever since then it has been known as Blood Soup in this house.

You will need:

3 large sweet potatoes

a similar amount of uncooked beetroot as sweet potato. (Sizes of the beetroot vary so much so it's hard to say how many you will need)

1 onion

1 clove garlic

about 1 pint vegetable stock

~Chop the onion and garlic and soften in a pan with a little oil.

~Peel and roughly chop the sweet potato and beetroot into cubes, and add to the pan.

~You might want to put some rubber gloves on to chop the beetroot, unless you want to end up with what I read Nigella describe once as 'Lady Macbeth hands'!

I don't tend to bother though. It does wash off - eventually!

~Soften the veg for about five minutes and then pour over the stock.

~You may need more than a pint, depending on how big your sweet potatoes and beetroot were, but you want to have enough to cover the veg, as below.

~Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, until the veg is nice and soft.

~Season to taste and blend until smooth with a hand held blender.

This soup is so bold you don't need any fancy garnishes on it.

And it's really more of a purpley colour than a blood-red colour!

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