Red Root Soup

I made this soup because all things root and tuber seem to be plentiful here in Finland and they are really delicious! This is super simple and I think turned out really well. I actually really liked the color of the broth that is mostly due to the beets. The recipe is really simple and doesn't require specific measurements of the ingredients and can be altered if you have more of one thing or another or just prefer the flavor or texture of one thing versus another.

     Basic ingredients list:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Stock/Water/Stockcube
• Oregano
• Bay Leaf
• Salt
• Pepper
• Potatoes
• Beets
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Celery
• Crushed tomato

First thing that needs to be done is that the onions and garlic need to be chopped up and sautéed until clear in the olive oil at the bottom of the pan that you are going to cook this all in. This gets the flavor of the onion out and into the oil rather than just boiling off into the water. After that is done, add the hardest vegetables in (the potatoes and the beets) as they will have to cook the longest along with the spices to the pan and add enough water or stock to cover them. The potatoes don't actually need quite as much time as the beets do to be done, but cooking them a little past that lets them melt a bit into the soup. Once those are part way done (should be 10-15 minutes but will depend on the size of the chunks you cut the veggies in) add the rest of the ingredients and cook until everything is done. Super simple and very yummy! This is a healthy and versatile soup that could be changed based on preferences and what you happen to be able to get your hands on.