Beetroot Soup with Fiona's Coolea Croutons

To celebrate the launch of our Melting Selection, we asked our colleagues how they like to cook with cheese at home and we received this dish from Fiona who works in our Retail Team. 

For the soup: 

2tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt & pepper
450g beetroot (5 medium beetroot)
800ml vegetable or chicken stock
75g tahini

For the croutons: 

4 thick slices of bread 
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp grated Coolea

METHOD

Pour the olive oil into a saucepan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook the onions very gently for 8-10minutes, until tender, stirring from time to time.

Peel the beetroot and cut into approximately 3cm dice, then add to the onions with the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat a bit and cook for 30 minutes or until the beetroot is tender.

While the soup is cooking away, prepare your croutons. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan170C/gas 5. Cut the bread into cubes and toss with the olive oil and cheese. Scatter onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Add the tahini then blend the soup until smooth. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.