Mondays With Mireille

Greetings! I see now that it's been nigh on a month since my last recipe from either of Mireille's books, and as it is I'm just squeaking in under the wire. I had considered renaming this feature to "Monthly With Mireille", but for some odd reason that title didn't seem all that appealing... haha!

I have a confession to make: I have never cooked a beet before. In fact, a lifeline was called to find out how I should approach this foreign vegetable! I quite like beets, hot or cold - I've just never made them for myself; they're quite attractive, delicious, and rich in both fiber and nutrients.

Cold Beet and Yogurt Summer Soup

4 medium beets, boiled till tender, then peeled and quartered 

 - I roasted mine in foil pouches at 375 for just over 2 hours

2 cups yogurt (plain 2%)

2 shallots, peeled and minced

Dash of cumin (I put in 1/4 tsp)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1. Mix the beets (they should be chunks that are a bit chewy and take a little more time to eat than if pureed) with the yogurt, shallots, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Serve the beets chilled in individual bowls and sprinkle with the dill. Served with a slice of bread and fruit (strawberries or melon) for dessert, this soup makes an excellent summer lunch.

You will again note how few ingredients these recipes call for. This is one of the things I like about the French philosophy of cooking: fresh ingredients, simply prepared and slowly savored (at least in theory - I know I tend to eat too quickly, but I am trying to retrain myself.)

Overall impressions: I am delighted with how this soup turned out. First off, the color is gorgeous. It's definitely a thicker soup; as Mireille suggests, it should be chewy. I actually mashed the beets, added all the other ingredients, mashed some more and then pureed 1/3 of the mixture. It still has a lot of body to it, but I found it way too thick and lumpy following the directions exactly as specified in the book. A very lovely appetizer or main entree at noon on a hot summer day.

A secret: I licked my bowl clean hehe - something I am infamous for amongst family and friends - but this only happens when the food is that good :) So 3.5 frogs legs for this one.

"The French woman understands intuitively that 

one does not laugh because one is happy; 

one is happy because one laughs. 

It's both a physical and psychic pleasure:

it is relaxing, stimulating, liberating, and sensual."

"Laughs are like wild mushrooms:

they don't deliver themselves to you -

you have to go in search of them,

whether by pursuing the unexpected

or by being totally crazy (dingue is the word we use),

to keep the adventure of living adventurous."

~ Mireille Guiliano ~