Beets are the new black. Research surveys show that beet salads are one of the biggest new restaurant trends. Whether red, gold, or candy striped, these wholesome and tasty root veggies are showing up on restaurant menus across the country and they are HOT, or cold, as the case may be. Folks these days don't make use of beets as much as our grandparents did, and many people haven't even tasted a beet that didn't come from a can. I know it wasn't until a few years ago that I started cooking up dishes using fresh beets, and I was amazed at how good they are.

One of my favorite dishes to make is a simple and absolutely wonderful roasted root vegetable soup. I think it may have been in Food & Wine magazine where I came across the original recipe, but after making it a few times and tweaking it I came up with the following. I like to serve this creamy, rich soup in coffee cups or tiny espresso cups as the first dish when I have a sit down dinner, or pass them around during a cocktail hour for a quick pick me up with a different twist.

This amazing Roasted Root Vegetable Soup is more like a bisque, very rich tasting but simple. It can be made in a low fat or fat free version as well by leaving out any of the oil, butter or stock.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

1 lb Fresh Beets
1 lb Fresh Parsnips
1 lb Fresh Turnips
1-2 48 oz cans of low fat/sodium chicken stock. (You can use water here to make it no fat but I recommend the stock.)
1/2 stick of butter. (You do not need the butter but I recommend it.)
Splash of olive or canola oil.
Fresh ground pepper and salt.

Peel and slice the veggies about 1/2 inch thick. Toss with a tiny bit of olive oil. Place on a foil covered baking sheet in a single layer. Roast at high temp 400-500 degrees for about 15-25 minutes or until a hint of brown appears. Make sure you watch them so they don't burn. Remove from oven and place in stock pot. Cover with water or chicken stock and simmer for about 30 minutes. Puree with a hand blender or carefully strain veggies, saving stock, and puree in the blender in small batches until smooth. Return pureed veggies and stock to stock pot and add more water or chicken stock to bring it to a medium consistency and return to simmer. Add salt and pepper as necessary and finish with the butter, slowly dropped in by the chunk, to taste. The soup will be a gorgeous deep red color and has a deliciously complex earthy rich roasted flavor.