Bowl of Beet & Black Cumin Soup
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Beet & Black Cumin Soup


Morocco?
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 soup
***
1 hr
Yes		 The flavors and textures of this soup are interesting and intense, but simple, making it a great soup course served before a main course, but I would not use it as a main course soup.




1-1/2
1
4
2
1/3
3
1
4
3
2/3
1/4
------
#
#
oz
cl
c
T
t
c
T
t
t
---
Beets
Potatoes (1)
Onions
Garlic
Parsley
Olive Oil
Black Cumin (2)
Water
Wine Vinegar (3)
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Yogurt
Olive Oil, ExtV
Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Peel BEETS and dice small.
  2. Peel POTATOES and dice small. Hold in cold water until needed.
  3. Cut ONION in half lengthwise, slice thin crosswise.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop fine.
Run   -   (40 min)
  1. Heat Oil and fry Onion until it starts to color. Stir in Garlic and Black Cumin and fry stirring for two minutes.
  2. Stir in Beets, Potatoes and Water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
  3. Run the soup in a food processor until just smooth - it should still have texture. Return all to the pot.
  4. Bring back to a boil. Stir in the Parsley and Vinegar. Season with Salt and Pepper and adjust seasoning to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes.
  5. Serve soup in individual bowls garnished with a generous dollop of Yogurt, and maybe a thin drizzle of Olive Oil if desired.
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      I prefer White Rose for soups and avoid the Yukon Gold type because they turn to mush if cooked a little long. For details see our Potatoes page.

  2. Black Cumin:

      This is sold in Indian markets as Kala Jeera or Shah Jeera and is much thinner than regular cumin. Do Not mistake it for Kalonji / Nigella, often called "Black Cumin" due to having that name in Bengal. If you don't have Kala Jeera use regular cumin - different, but usable.

  3. Red Wine Vinegar:

      Called "Grape Vinegar" or "Raisin Vinegar" in Islamic countries, in hopes of avoiding the wrath of Allah (you have to make wine before you can make it into vinegar, and Allah doesn't drink).

  4. Notes:

      This recipe is derived from one in the famous Moro cookbook. Unfortunately this cookbook shares some flaws with other English cookbooks. Traceability to national derivations are spotty ("spotty" is way better than most English cookbooks though) and it calls for ingredients by size (likely different outside England) rather than by verifiable measures. I'm assigning this recipe to Morocco, since they seem to use a fair number of beets there.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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