chilled beet soup with kefir and chives

If I was to choose one single dish to showcase beauty and flavor of spring, it would be this gorgeous, deep purple colored chilled beet and kefir soup.
I know….I know….here we have morel mushrooms, asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb…… and I’m talking beets. Well…. I can’t help it…..I fell in love with this refreshingly sour and earthy tasting mix of baby beets, radish, cucumber, chives and dill. Packed with probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins….it’s definitely a spring celebration soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch baby beets with stems and leaves, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large radishes or about 6 small, grated
• kefir, I used LifeWay organic
• bunch of chives or about 6 green shallots, finely chopped
• fresh dill about 6-8 sprigs, chopped
• english cucumber, grated
• vegetable stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, minced garlic(optional)

Directions:
place chopped beets with their stems and leafs in a large pot, add only enough stock to barley cover them and boil until tender, about 20 min, add salt to taste. Set aside and cool, reserve the stock.
In the mean time, in a large bowl mix all vegetables, finely chopped or grated with dill and chives(or green shallots), add cooled beets and stock. In a final step add kefir, more or less 12 oz, depending on what color and consistency you would like to achieve. There is no hard rules to follow in a preparation of this recipe. I often eyeball amounts and alternate ingredients, always successfully. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Serve chilled on a hot spring or summer day.
As my tripod  went through some major trauma, I  asked my other half to  give me a hand(s) with theses photos, so... many thanks to my helpful and patient model :)

Posted by M. at 12:27 PM