A Very Pink Beetroot Gazpacho

How gay can soup get? This brilliant pink cold soup would be a perfectly kitsch starter for Valentine's day. I also just found out it's an aphrodisiac for the Romans, and a symbol of love for the pagans ;) You might be wondering about that unnatural pink, but it's totally natural-- it's beetroot! Art lesson: red beetroot + white yogurt = pink soup.

Beetroot stains everything it touches red-- the chopping board, the knife, my hands..

This gazpacho is inspired by the Polish borscht, usually served cold on a summer's day, so even if you don't want a showy pink starter for Valentine's day, keep this recipe in store for the upcoming (I can always hope) spring/summer! Instead of just boiling the beetroot as in most recipes I've seen, I roasted them for even more concentrated sweetness.

Pink Beetroot Gazpacho

serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 tennis-ball sized beetroot, skin-on, washed

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

400 ml natural plain yogurt (adjust to get the right colour/consistency)

water

To serve

1 tbsp chopped chives

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Toss the beetroot with the evoo and thyme, and place in the oven. Roast for about 1h, or till the inside is tender when pierced.

3. Peel off the skin, chop the beetroot up, and add to the blender with the yogurt and a bit of water till you get the desired consistency.

4. Serve with the chopped chives scattered in the centre!

Or to go all out kitsch, you can save some red beetroot puree and use that to draw a heart ;)

I'm in a bit of a beetroot mood in the lead-up to a lonely Valentine's day, so bear with the upcoming spammage of beetroot recipes hehe.