Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 medium organic potato, scrubbed and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large turnip, peeled and diced
- 2 medium organic carrots, scrubbed and diced
- 2 medium stalks celery, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or ground coriander
- dill stems
- 10 cups (21⁄2 quarts) cold water
- 11⁄2–2 pounds beets, trimmed and scrubbed
- 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and diced or finely sliced in half moons
- 1 medium leek, washed, white and tender green finely sliced
- 1 14-ounce can Great Northern beans, drained
- 2–4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- sour cream for garnish
- fresh dill leaves for garnish
Instructions
Cover dried mushrooms with boiling water. When they are soft, remove them. Reserve soaking water for the soup broth. Wash mushrooms and dice them. Set them aside.
Combine potato, garlic, turnip, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, coriander, dill stems and water. Bring the broth to a simmer and cook gently for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Cool for another 30 minutes. Strain the broth and discard vegetables.
Peel and finely dice or julienne beets. Add beets, carrots, leek, beans, mushrooms and their soaking liquid (but not the last bit, which might be sandy) into the strained broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until beets are tender, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice or vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm or chilled with a dollop of sour cream and chopped dill.
Note: If you have fresh, tender beet tops, wash them well, finely slice them and add them to the soup after you remove it from the heat.
