Five Spice Beet Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Melt margarine in large pot over medium heat. Add beets, onions, ginger, and lemon peel. Cover; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 6 cups broth and bring to boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer until beets are very tender, 1 hour. Remove from heat; let stand 20 minutes.
• Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to soup and thin with more broth, if desired. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice.
• Slice enough beet greens to measure 3/4 cup. Microwave greens 1 minute to wilt; place in blender. Add 3/4 cup soup; puree greens until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover soup and puree separately; chill. Rewarm both separately before using.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle some of greens puree over soup and serve.

Steps:

• Warm olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic; cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in beets, and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, and simmer until the beets are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.
• In batches, add soup to a food processor, and pulse until liquefied. Return soup to saucepan, and gently heat through. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with a swirl of cream.

Steps:

• Salt the short ribs and, if possible, allow them to sit overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator. (If you don't have time for this step, salt the short ribs and proceed directly to the next step.)
• Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a stockpot on high heat, and brown the short ribs in batches.
• Remove the ribs from the pot, turn the heat down to medium-high, then add the onions and garlic, which will deglaze the pan. Stir occasionally.
• Brown the onions and garlic.
• Put the meat back into pot, cover with water (approximately 8 cups), and simmer for one hour.
• Add the soaked lima beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Add the cut vegetables and enough water to generously cover them.
• Simmer for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and their flavors are melding together.
• Add some of the dill now (reserve the rest for a garnish when you serve the soup).
• The meat should be pulling off the bone at this point, and the bones can be discarded. If the meat has not yet reached this stage of doneness, it can be cut up into chunks and put back into the soup to finish cooking.

Steps:

• Cut beet greens into thin strips, and stems into 1/4-inch pieces; set both aside. Peel beets with a vegetable peeler; cut into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, cayenne, and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and salt; cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until juices are released, about 2 minutes. Add stock and 4 1/2 cups water (for a thinner consistency, add up to 5 cups water); bring to a boil. Add beets and stems. Reduce heat; simmer until beets are tender, about 35 minutes.
• Add greens; cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Divide soup among six bowls; divide yogurt among servings.