Beet Vichyssoise

Some reasons to make this:

1. A beet bomb just went off in the garden

2. Today is milk pick-up day, (fresh, raw milk, beckoning a dish featuring it's loveliness)

3. To enjoy one of the most shocking colors in nature

4. A cold, and refreshing meal for a heat wave

5. No other word instantly makes you sound more sophisticated than vichyssoise.

Beet Vichyssoise:

*4-5 red beets, peeled and quartered

*2 small sweet onions, quartered

*3 celery ribs and leaves, chopped

*2 garlic cloves

*4-5 small (freshly dug) gold potatoes

*5-6 cups high quality chicken stock

*sea salt and pepper

*2 cups fresh milk

Place all ingredients, except for the milk, in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until veggies are soft, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Working in batches, blend contents of pot in a blender or food processor. Return to pot. Whisk in the milk. Refrigerate until cool. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or creme fraiche, and chopped celery leaves.

I like to serve this with a side of sauteed beet greens.

*Hippocrates was known to use the leaves of beets to bind wounds, and since early Roman times, beetroot juice has been considered an aphrodisiac.

Beets contain high levels of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. A great source of calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, folic acid, iodine, manganese, potassium, and the greens are loaded with fiber.