More Beet Business

My good friends Joe & Lisa are moving to Boston for a year & my neighborhood in SE Portland already feels a little less bright. Joe is a master gardner who continuously works to improve his garden at home & his community garden plot. I might also add that his crop yields are spectacular & I benefit greatly! Since it was a year for bumper crop beets, I was fortunate enough to be gifted with several pounds. I have made grated beet salad, borscht, juice, and salad of roasted beets with chevre. Today I return to my beloved canning jars to make this chutney. It will be beautiful on rice, on lentils, and in all sorts of roasts. I like the combination of coconut, mustard seed, and gorgeous red roots! So, Joe?? Lisa?? Every time I open a jar of this, I will smile. Thanks for all the garden goodies! See you in Boston this Fall! I'll bring some Pink Slip!

Beetroot Chutney

1/2 cup grated beetroot
1/4 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)
3 whole red chillies
4 to 5 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For the tempering1/4 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1 tsp oil

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds.
2. Add the beetroot and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the coconut and salt and sauté for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Allow to cool completely.
5. Purée to a fine paste in a blender with 2 tablespoons of water.
6. For the tempering, heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and when the seeds crackle, pour the tempering over the beetroot chutney.
7. Serve at room temperature.

RECIPE SOURCE : Achaar Aur Parathe

Beet the Heat

First of all, if you think you're not a beet lover, rest assured. I wasn't either for the longest time. Now I'm a believer. This recipe will make you one as well. It's delicious, beautiful, and easy to make. Beets are relatively inexpensive if you buy them, and easy to grow if you have a garden. The roots are great for soups & juicing, for roasting & serving as a salad, for pickling...and the list goes on. The stems & leaves are amazing in pasta sauce or just sauteed with olive oil, salt & garlic. Supposedly beet juice detoxifies the liver & helps keep your skin clear. Reason enough!

Borscht Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups beef broth*
• 1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef shank
• 1 large onion, peeled, quartered
• 4 large beets, peeled, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

*Use gluten-free broth if you are cooking gluten-free

METHOD

1 Bring 4 cups of the beef broth, the beef shank, and onion to boil in large pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

2 Transfer meat to work surface; trim fat, sinew and bone and discard. Chop meat; cover and chill. Cool broth slightly. Chill in pot until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

3 Spoon fat from top of chilled broth and discard. Add remaining 4 cups broth, beets, carrots, and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

4 Stir in meat, cabbage and 1/2 cup dill; cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup dill.

Yield: Serves 6.

Beets Me

My lovely friend, Lisa B. is moving away for a year to Boston. Her husband won a fellowship to MIT & Harvard to do research...not on vegetables, I might add...In her honor & because I will miss all the company & sound gardening advice, a huge batch of borscht will be made. Chilled or hot, with or without meat, good friends & garden fresh vegetables are hard to beat. Make some borscht or some beet & chevre salad. It's beautiful, good for you, and a perfect Summer meal.