Beet and Buttermilk Soup
From "Eating Local" by Janet Fletcher. This soup recipe uses beets and is easy, but it includes a few ingredients that we don’t have in our kitchen all of the time, so if you are like us, you might have to plan ahead.
1 lb of beet roots with all but 1/2-inch of the stems removed
1 or two cloves of garlic, peeled
3 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup chives or dill, with a little extra for garnish
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
First, roast the beets and garlic cloves by putting them in a baking dish with a tiny bit of water and bake until soft at 375 degrees until they are soft. This may take almost an hour. When the beets cool down, peel them.
Cut the beets into quarters and put them, the roasted garlic and 1-1/2 cups of the buttermilk into a blender. Puree until smooth. Add the remaining buttermilk, most of the herbs and the vinegar and purée again. Season with salt and pepper. Chill. Taste before serving and adjust the seasoning. When you serve the soup, you can garnish the bowls with the fresh herbs.