CREAMY BEET WITH DILL SOUP

Creamy Beet With Dill Soup image

A pureed vegetable soup can be an impressive, easy and affordable first course for an elegant dinner, or even a light dinner on its own with salad and bread.

Provided by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Vegetable Soup Recipes

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pounds raw beets, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into large dice
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch sugar
3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 teaspoon toasted caraway seeds*
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 ½ cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Garnish: chopped hard-cooked egg

Steps:

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.
Add beets, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until squash start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.
Add caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until beets are tender, about 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree (adding fresh dill) until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the lid's pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid. Drape the blender canister with a kitchen towel. To 'clean' the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)
Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into bowls, garnish and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 152.4 calories, Carbohydrate 12.8 g, Cholesterol 26.2 mg, Fat 10.4 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 3.3 g, SaturatedFat 4.7 g, Sodium 101.4 mg, Sugar 6.8 g