Roasted Beetroot Soup with Black Bean Salsa

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

For the ginger & turmeric oil (this will make more than you need but stores well in the fridge)

• 50g ginger, peeled and chopped
• 5g garam masala
• 1.5g turmeric
• 1g salt
• 250ml veg oil

For the mushroom broth:

• 1L filtered water
• 50g dried mushroom
• 10g fennel seed
• 5g star anise
• 50g peeled ginger, sliced thin
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 50ml white soy
• 10g Dashi Powder

For the soup:

• 2 leeks, whites only, sliced fine
• 2 shallot, sliced fine
• 10g,button mushroom, sliced fine
• 2 sticks celery, sliced fine
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced fine
• 50g extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Maldon salt
• 2 large beets or 400g beetroot
• 2g coriander seed
• 2g cumin seed
• 2g smoked paprika
• 2g ground cinnamon
• 700g mushroom broth

For the black bean topping:

• 250g black beans, drained
• 50g red chilli, deseeded and brunoise
• 50g shallot brunoise
• 50g ginger, peeled and brunoise
• 50g chives, finely sliced
• 50g dill fronds, finely chopped
• 50g coriander stem, finely sliced
• 5g cumin, toasted and ground
• 5g ground black pepper
• 10g Maldon salt
• 1 lemon, zest of
• 50g crispy onions

METHOD

1. Make the ginger & turmeric oil by adding everything to the thermo at full speed for 8 mins until smooth. Pour off and leave to cool gently. Ideally, rest overnight, but you can also use it once cool.
2. Make the broth by adding all the ingredients to a pan and simmering for half an hour. Steep for 4 hours, till cool. Strain and gently press.
3. Use a sharp mandolin to cut the shallots into 1mm rings, moving top to bottom. Submerge them in cold rapeseed oil in a pan, and gently bring up the heat. As the oil heats, stir every few minutes to avoid shallots clumping. Fry until the shallots turn a nut brown colour. Use a spider spatula to remove from the oil, and put on a towel lined tray to dry. They will continue to darken, to a golden colour. Store in an airtight container.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Wash the beetroot, rub with olive oil and sea salt, wrap in foil, and bake until the beetroot for 45-60 mins, depending on their size. Allow to cool, remove skins. Cut down into 3cm chunks.
5. Sweat the leeks, shallots, mushrooms, celery, garlic, in extra virgin olive oil and salt until softened but not coloured, around 30 mins. Add the beetroot and spices. Continue to cook for a further 5 mins or so. Add the celeriac and mushroom broth and bring up to a simmer. Blend to a smooth puree.
6. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Strain the beans and hang to remove water. Toss beans in extra virgin olive oil and toast in the oven for 15 mins. Allow to cool. Fold together with all remaining ingredients.
7. Serve by adding the soup to a bowl, add the bean topping and finish with a sprinkling of crispy shallots.