Spicy Beet And Tomato Soup Recipe

1/4 cup cooking oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 small fresh beet roots, scrubbed and diced
2 small fresh tomatoes, diced (or 1 can (14-oz) diced tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Put a large soup pot over medium heat, add the oil and the onion, and cook, stirring, just until the onion softens slightly.

Stir in the garlic and the flour, continuing to stir for 1 minute.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, stir, and bring to a gentle boil, then turn heat down to very low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the beets are fork tender.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly, then puree the soup in batches in a blender, pouring each batch into a fresh soup pot.

When all the batches are done and in the soup pot, put pot over medium heat and cook gently just until heated through nice and hot. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Ladle into soup bowls. You may wish to garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Will serve 4 to 6.