Beets

For such an unprepossessing, mild-mannered vegetable, beetroot certainly polarises opinion - or at least it does in my family. On the one hand we have my younger sister who believes it is the work of the devil; my whole family is still traumatised by the time that she demonstrated in full Technicolor why it is a bad idea to force children to eat something they have really taken against! In contrast the rest of us adore it any way you care to serve it.

R was never great with traditional pickled beets, though, as he wasn't a great fan of anything vinegary.

I can't remember exactly who introduced me to the idea of roast beets. It may have been the late, great Christopher Lloyd in his lovely book The Gardener Cook. Whoever it was, they were absolutely right. Roasting the beets gives them a sweetness and depth of flavour that just doesn't happen with the plain boiled variety.

R's favourite way to serve them was as an accompaniment to mackerel, either smoked or fresh. Mixed with sharp green apple, spring onions and a good dollop of freshly-grated horseradish, and then stirred into a mix of greek yoghurt and mayonnaise, this sharp, crunchy salad was perfect to cut through the richness of the fish.

I keep coming back to soup, however.

My freezer still holds plenty of chicken stock and the tomato or tomato/courgette sauce that I froze over the Summer. The recipe is simplicity itself: mix peeled and roast beets, chicken stock and tomato sauce in roughly equal quantities. Heat through, then whizz up with a hand blender and season to taste.
Serve with the usual crusty bread and a sprinkling of cubes of feta cheese.

This may possibly be my very favourite soup of all. Why not give it a try. You won't regret it, even if you think you don't like beets.