We have gotten plenty of beets lately, and my food box share friend has graciously given me most of her share as I love beets and she is not so fond of them. I made two dishes, a beet salad and borscht. The borscht was underwhelming, though very crisp and light. I used another minimalist recipe, and perhaps could have used a bit more seasoning. The beet salad was simple, using a homemade salad dressing that is fantastic, and as always, adding a bit of feta makes it over the top.
Beet Salad Dressing
1/4 c flax seed oil
2 T red wine vinegar
4 sprigs fresh dill, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
Mix together and drizzle over top of salad when ready to eat. Our salad was mesclun, beets, and feta with the dressing. Simple, easy, and such a strong flavor.
Borscht
(as found on http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/dining/the-minimalist-the-best-a-beet-can-hope-for.html?ref=the_minimalist)
Time: About 1 hour, plus chilling
2 pounds red beets, peeled
1 large onion, peeled
1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed and tied in a bundle
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered, optional
1 firm medium cucumber or half an English cucumber, peeled if necessary and diced, optional
4 medium red or white new potatoes, boiled until tender and kept hot, optional
Sour cream.
1. Grate beets and onion together on a box grater or food processor outfitted with basic blade (pulse carefully) or grating disk. Place mixture in large saucepan with dill-stem bundle and 6 cups of water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so liquid simmers steadily but not violently, until beets are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, remove dill stems, and chill.
3. When soup is cold, taste and add lemon juice, salt and pepper as necessary. Chop as much of the dill fronds as you would like for garnishing. Serve borscht in bowls, with garnishes of your choice and the dill. Pass sour cream at table.
Yield: 4 servings.
Still not sure what to think of the borscht. Very light, and perhaps a great appetizer, and perhaps the cucumbers we got were not a good mix as the skin was a bit bitter compared to the sweet beets.
Borscht
(as found on http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/dining/the-minimalist-the-best-a-beet-can-hope-for.html?ref=the_minimalist)
Time: About 1 hour, plus chilling
2 pounds red beets, peeled
1 large onion, peeled
1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed and tied in a bundle
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered, optional
1 firm medium cucumber or half an English cucumber, peeled if necessary and diced, optional
4 medium red or white new potatoes, boiled until tender and kept hot, optional
Sour cream.
1. Grate beets and onion together on a box grater or food processor outfitted with basic blade (pulse carefully) or grating disk. Place mixture in large saucepan with dill-stem bundle and 6 cups of water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so liquid simmers steadily but not violently, until beets are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, remove dill stems, and chill.
3. When soup is cold, taste and add lemon juice, salt and pepper as necessary. Chop as much of the dill fronds as you would like for garnishing. Serve borscht in bowls, with garnishes of your choice and the dill. Pass sour cream at table.
Yield: 4 servings.
Still not sure what to think of the borscht. Very light, and perhaps a great appetizer, and perhaps the cucumbers we got were not a good mix as the skin was a bit bitter compared to the sweet beets.
