beet – Page 2 – Goboroot.com

Labour Day Weekend

To be honest with you, we rarely go out to eat because once you experience eating quality homegrown food, it is hard to find anything that measures up. Of course, we are very happy when chefs or foodie friends treat us with their crafts! However, this weekend we went to two restaurants in and around Vancouver area in one day! We were invited to a friend’s birthday lunch and another bon voyage dinner. The food was good but there was something lacking: “satisfaction.” My relationship with food starts from me sowing seeds on the ground and ends with composting the peelings from a meal I create. Nonetheless, the time we spent with friends was priceless. We had such a great time.

As if to recuperate from the weekend affair, the very next day we gulped fresh beet juice, sautéed Swiss chard, and devoured a roasted tomato and aubergine dish. The distinctive smell of freshly harvested Thai basil and the film of greasy oil coating the slightly burned edge of hard earned summer vegetables: this is why we cherish eating at home! We mopped the remnant of the richly flavoured exotic sauce with a crusty baguette from the plate, and savoured the taste of victory.

I appreciate all kinds of summer fruits, but especially melons, specifically cantaloupes. However, until they are ready, we’ve been enjoying honeydews from Red Barn Plants and Produce. We also recently picked up some eggplant which didn’t take off in my garden this year (by the way, I like calling them aubergine due to its romantic sound), a few colourful heirloom tomatoes and tomatillos for my roasted vegetable dish (recipe follows).

Fresh Beet Juice

We just discovered in our cupboard The Big Book of Juice and Smoothies 365 by Natalie Savona. This is a book that makes you feel energized by just flipping through its beautifully arranged coloured pages, which are organized by each fruit and vegetable. We’ve been making smoothies with seasonal fruits, and occasionally with veggies. With beets in season, it seemed like a good time to bring back an old favourite.

Serves 2 to 3

2 large beets, peeled and quartered

1 large carrot, chopped in a few pieces

1 organic apple, halved

2 oranges, peeled

6 ice cubes

Throw them in a Vitamix and blend. Add water as needed. Alternately, you can use a juicer but you will lose all the goodies (pulps).

Adapted from The Big Book of Juice and Smoothies 365.

Sautéed Rainbow Swiss Chard

Serves 2-3

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

A big bunch of rainbow Swiss chard, rinsed, pat dried and cut into 2 inch pieces

A sprig of thyme

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, ground

Warm up a large pan over medium high heat with plenty of olive oil. Sauté the garlic until fragrant then add Swiss chard. Turn the heat on high and sauté for a few minutes. The key here is to coat the vegetables with the hot oil and let them wilt in a short time to preserve the moisture in the chard. If cooked for a long time on low heat, they become watery.

Adjust the taste with a dash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese to finish. Serve immediately.

Roasted Tomatoes and Aubergine with Harissa

I adapted this recipe from my favourite book The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater. He uses chickpeas for its Middle Eastern originality but I used the potatoes since they are in abundance in our household.

Serves two hungry big eaters

A big bowlful of assorted heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

5 medium aubergines (eggplants), cut into 1 inch pieces

6 tomatillos, peeled and halved if large

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

120ml olive oil

50ml red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Salt and pepper

3 large potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes and pat dried

Olive oil

1 to 2 teaspoons harissa paste (Tunisian hot chili sauce)

A bunch of Thai basil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the tomatoes, aubergine, and tomatillo on a cooking sheet. Scatter with the garlic, drizzle with the oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with the cumin seeds, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes’ edges are slightly charred about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, in a large bowl, coat the potatoes well with some olive oil and place on a cooking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast until golden brown about 25 minutes.

Lift the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Reserve the juice in a small bowl and stir in the harissa paste.

Gently mix the potatoes into the vegetables and pour in the harissa sauce.

Transfer the vegetables to a platter and scatter with the whole basil leaves. Serve with a piece of crusty baguette.

Roasted Beet Borscht Soup

This is a big pot of soup for a cold rainy afternoon, which can literally occur anytime here in the Vancouver area at this time of year! You can serve this hearty soup for your guests or simply cook for two and take a day or two off from cooking over the next couple of days. The longer it cooks, the better the flavour gets so it is perfect for rainy afternoons when you can spare time for a cozy homemade meal to replenish your soul.

Some baby celery leaves from the previous year’s plant that I started from seeds have survived the freezing temperatures, and have now started to show the signs of spring! I like this soup slightly creamy but not too much. When I use heavy cream, I might omit sour cream or vice versa. It totally depends on your liking; feel free to adjust.

Roasted Beet Borscht Soup

Serves 6-8

1 pound beets

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3/4 cup potatoes, diced

8 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

2 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

2 cups cabbage, shredded

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon or so salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Sour cream, for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (I use whatever green leaves are available in my garden such as cilantro or chives)

Scrub the beets and remove the leaves, leaving a 1 inch stub from the top. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and seal the foil tight, then roast until they are tender when tested. Large beets may take an hour or so. Set aside and let cool

In the meantime, chop the vegetables, and heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat to melt the butter. Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes until softened and starting to colour, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the stove top to medium-low heat and skim off the foam that floats on top. Add diced tomatoes, bring to a boil and repeat the process to remove unwanted foam on the surface of the soup. Remove the skins from the beets, chop into cubes and add to the soup. Let simmer over medium-low heat for an hour with a lid, stirring occasionally.

This is the time to serve yourself a glass of wine if you haven’t yet. Take a break for a while.

The last thing to do is to shred the cabbage and add it to the soup after simmering for 1 hour. Then, let simmer for another 20 minutes. Add cream and adjust the taste with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve in bowls, garnished with sour cream and dill.

Pea Shoots and Beet Salad

I have a garden in the front yard and the back yard, where we rely on our produce all year round. But when food becomes scarce, a kitchen window sill becomes my garden; jars of sprouts, trays of pea shoots and sunflower sprouts are nestled on shelves with grow lights. We rely on these tiny yet powerful greens to get through the winter. Sprouts give us the freshest, the rawest and the most nutrient-rich food in a small package. I used to consult Mark M. Braunstein’s book called Sprout Garden until I got the hang of the procedure. Once I learned, it became second nature. Another book I really like is called Microgreens, which has photographs of individual sprouts and information about them. Now we eat different kinds of sprouts everyday. Anyone can start a small indoor garden in a cupboard or a pantry in the kitchen.

Pea Shoots and Beet Salad

Serves 4

6 medium beets

1/2 pound pea shoots

200 g goat cheese

3/4 cup pecan halves

Wash the beets and remove leaves, leaving 1 inch of stem on the beets. Place them in a pot, cover them with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour until tender. When the beets are done, plunge them in cold water and remove the skin. Pat dry and slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Prepare the salad by washing, draining, and patting dry the pea shoots. Place the pea shoots in a large bowl, spoon the goat cheese on top, and add the sliced beets. Sprinkle the pecan over top of the salad. Serve with balsamic vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes about 1 cup

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 shallot, chopped

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well. Taste and adjust the seasonings.