Kristina honours her Danish ancestry with a rub-red bowl of hearty rødbedesuppe.

Words: Kristina Jensen

Makes – 4 large bowls
Ready in – 3 hours

This soup has moved from being a staple of the farming community to having a place in the finest restaurants in Copenhagen.

It’s tasty, warming and very satisfying on a cold, wet, winter’s day. I have added lemon juice and rosemary. You could substitute red or white wine for some of the water, and add fresh sprigs of herbs.

I used goat in my dish but you could use ribs of your choice.

INGREDIENTS

600-700g ribs
2 cups peeled, cubed beetroot (roughly 2 large beetroot)
1 leek, sliced
4 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp dry mustard powder
¼ tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
½-1 tsp salt to taste
3 rosemary sprigs
yoghurt or sour cream for garnish

METHOD

Heat your oven to 180°C.

Place the ribs into a casserole dish that has a lid. Break them up if necessary to fit them in.

Put all the other ingredients in and cover with water. Cover the dish and cook it in the oven for 2½ hours, stirring every 40 minutes. Once done, remove the rib bones carefully with tongs, letting the meat fall back into the pot.

At this stage, you can either serve it as it is or process it until smooth.

Serve hot with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream and garnish with fresh greenery.

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