Beetroot essence

With us, there is Christmas Eve - if we are without family at home - always a comparatively simple menu. This is probably due to childhood memories, according to which we both had enough to do on Christmas Eve, so that was not also cooked elaborately.

Due to a technical problem, there is still an amuse geule today - I can’t think of a way to put a fried scallop in the soup so that it doesn’t get lost. And I don’t want to use it simply as an ingredient, given the strong coloring of the essence. Then they are served on a piece of toasted bread (mmm, house bread from Tollkötter - the best gray bread I know, with a thick crust. Unfortunately, this is only available in Münster).

But now to the soup. I cook it according to a recipe by Douce Steiner, who mistakenly calls it essence. In fact, it is a bound soup based on an essence.

I use

• 1 medium tuber of beetroot (about 200g).

peel it and grate it on the vegetable grater. Then I take

• 1/2l chicken broth (original: beef consommee)

add the beet chips and heat slowly until boiling. After a brief boil, I set the pot aside, covered, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then I pass the mixture through a sieve and continue to use only the liquid. I add

• 125ml red wine (Ligurio)
• 1 tablespoon of starch dissolved in the red wine

and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes. It becomes very dark red, almost like the red wine and takes on a velvety consistency. Then I add the seasoning:

• salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of good balsamic vinegar

Now the soup is ready to serve, I put it in the preheated plates, add a dollop of crème fraiche and decorate with a few stalks of chives.

I find the soup strong and fitting for Christmas (due to the red wine), I like the combination.

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