Love and beetroot soup

Sometimes love doesn't have to be said with champagne, chocolate and pale blue boxes from Tiffany. Sometimes love comes wrapped in butcher's paper, written on the back of an envelope, in bed with a cup of morning tea. Saying I love you is as simple as a bowl of soup. And as good for you too.
The seductive pink of this soup spells VALENTINES to me. Like true love it is wholesome and satisfying, with a bit of a kick at the end. A sexy, simple starter; tastes of earth and fire. It makes your lips red too.

Beetroot soup with horseradish
(enough for 4 serves)

30g butter 
2 leeks, roughly chopped,soaked in water to clean, drained
1 stick celery, stringy bits peeled off, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
5 beetroots, peeled and chopped
1 litre vegetable stock (I use Marigold bouillon) 
2 tsp horseradish (less or more to taste)
2 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream

Method

In a heavy-bottomed pan sweat the leeks and celery in the butter until softening, but don't let them brown. About 5 minutes. 
Add the parsnips, potato, beetroots and ground ginger and stir around with the leeks and celery, sweating for a further 5 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil then let simmer gently for 30 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
Turn the heat off, and carefully blend in a food processor. Watch out for sloshes - beetroot is a very bossy vegetable and stains all it comes in contact with.
The soup should be thick but not lumpy.
Stir in the horseradish, creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with love.

  

 ....PLAYLIST....

 

I could really do with a sunny afternoon to drink sparkling red in the garden till delirious with my husband and I'd play this as we whooped to the sky.

green garden - laura mvula  

It's THE MAN'S birthday today, this song is one of my all-time favourites and me and my guy met through a mutual love of reggae.

babylon system - bob marley

Because she is the most poignant poet on the subject of love.

lessons in survival - joni mitchell

Is this one of the most beautiful love songs ever?

into my arms - nick cave 

This song really made sense when I saw the face of my first born baby, for the first time - the greatest love of all.

first time ever i saw your face - roberta flack