Crimson Sunset Soup



Icy roads kept me inside yesterday morning, providing the perfect opportunity to get busy making some comforting soup. Since I had sweet potatoes and beets on hand, I decided to combine the two colorful veggies, along with some carrots, an apple and a red onion. What a bright, pretty soup that was also delicious. The sweetness of the potato and apple nicely balanced the rich, earthy flavor of the beets. I also added some garlic, ginger and miso for umami undertones, and a dollop of Beaujolais wine at the end for a little zing.
I'm calling it Crimson Soup because the vivid red-pink hue reminds me of a gorgeous sunset.


Crimson Sunset Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 3 cloves minced garlic
  
• 1 cup red onion, peeled and chopped 
  
• 2 cups beets, peeled and chopped 
  
• 3 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped 
  
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 
  
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped 
  
• 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped
  
• 3 cups vegetable broth
  
• 1/2 cup apple juice
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1 tablespoon white miso
  
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
  
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
  
• 1/2 lemon pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
  
• 1/2-1 cup light red wine (such as Beaujolais) 

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over high heat. Add onions and garlic, stirring frequently. When they start to brown turn heat down to medium.
   
2. Add next 9 ingredients (through miso). Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for about an hour or until soft (you could also transfer them to a crock pot at this point). 
   
3. Add the spices and wine and cook for a little longer to let the flavors blend, about 15 min or so. Then puree using a stick (immersion) blender to transfer to a food processor.
   
4. Garnish as desired - I topped mine with some goat feta cheese, but some chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds would also be nice. 

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