This is a Latvian recipe which I have modified by taking out the boiled eggs and replacing them with boiled new potatoes, creating in the process a zero-fat soup. That might be good news for some people, although I confess I don't worry too much about my fat intake. Most vegetarian food is much lower in fat than meat-based food and the fat that is present is usually very low in cholesterol and saturated fats. 'Vegetarians' who have to worry about their weight are probably eating too much dairy produce or crisps and stuff like that. If you're after not only a zero-fat, but also extremely low carbohydrate recipe, try leaving out the potatoes. The soup still tastes good. I know, because I tried this in a beetroot okroshka recipe and, although I served fried potatoes on the side, the soup would have been fine without them.
For beetroot recipes, I usually recommend cooking the beetroot gently in it's skin to keep the vitamins and other nutrients inside, but this time I'm going to suggest the opposite, as the opposite result is required. The cooking water from the beetroot forms the stock for the soup and gives it a lovely deep crimson colour. It also makes a powerful natural fabric dye so provide giant napkins for your guests if they are wearing anything other than their gardening clothes. Alternatively, you could ask them to wear only red or black. That way the spots won't show and you'll get some pretty neat photographs.
Ingredients
3 medium beetroots
1 large cucumber
4 medium new potatoes
3 tomatoes
1 small onion
A bunch of fresh dill
A few spring onions
100ml of apple vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Peel the beetroots, place in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 40 minutes. Scrub the new potatoes and boil them for 10-15 minutes, drain and leave to cool. Peel the cucumber and onion. When the beetroot is cooked (when you can stick a fork in it easily) drain and save the liquid and grate the beetroot as soon as it is cool enough to handle.
Chop the cucumber, potatoes, tomatoes, onion and herbs. Go for fairly small pieces as the tastes will combine easier and the texture of the soup will be nicer.
When you've done all that, whack everything you've got into a large pot, bowl or other suitable container and top up with cold water to about 2 and a half or 3 litres. Add more salt or vinegar if you think it needs it. This soup will keep for 4 or 5 days in the fridge and it's really refreshing on hot summer days - just the kind of days when you'd prefer to sit in the garden with a few beers rather than cook.