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Chilled borscht with baby vegetables

Alastair Little from Market Kitchen
Alastair Little serves a jellied beetroot soup with a selection of crisp baby vegetables

Chilled borscht with baby vegetables

Method

1. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, cook the beetroot until tender. This will take about 30 minutes for the baby ones, and up to an hour for larger ones. Drain, refresh in cold water and peel while still warm. Reserve the peelings.

2. If the beetroots are large, cut them into neat chunks so that they are roughly the same size as the baby vegetables.

3. Prepare the baby vegetables by trimming and peeling them as appropriate. Blanch the vegetables separately in boiling, salted water and refresh in cold water.

4. Put the beetroot peelings into a saucepan with the consommé and simmer for 15 minutes - the consommé will take on a deep purple colour . Pass through a sieve and allow to cool, discarding the trimmings. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

5. Mix the blanched vegetables together and put in a soup tureen or, for maximum effect, arrange in individual bowls. Add the beetroot last to prevent it discolouring the rest of the vegetables and spoon over the consommé. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

6. Mix the horseradish or harissa into the crème fraiche, then spoon over the soup. Garnish with the chervil leaves or chopped chives

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Serves: 4

Prep: 5 min, plus 2 hrs chilling time
Cook: 45 min

Ingredients
1 bunch baby beetroots or 2 medium beetroots
4 x 225g packets baby vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower, mange tout, courgettes
575ml chicken or beef consommé
horseradish or Harissa, to taste
300ml crème fraiche
chervil leaves or chopped Chives, to garnish