Recipe: Recipes Using Beets (6)

Recipes Using Beets (6)

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BEETS A LA FEIVEL
From: Shylock

2 lb beets
1/2 lb carrots
6 dried Shiitake
2 med. onion
1/2 lemon
4 oz sour cream
8 cloves garlic
3 bay leaf
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika (chili powder is good too)
1 tsp chopped mint
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
Ground white pepper

Place large pieces of vegetables in stew-pot. Add water just enough to
cover veggies. Add dried mushrooms. Remove after water starts to boil. Julienne mushrooms and place them back to stew. Add salt and finely cut onion. Reduce heat to VERY low, cover and cook until liquid almost evaporated. Add pepper, mint, lemon zest, bay-leaf and cook another 10-15 min. Mean time mix in blender sour cream, paprika, garlic and salt. Turn off heat. Pour Lemon juice over the veggies. Hold for another 1-2 minutes and then serve on plate. Pour Sour cream sauce over the veggies. Enjoy!

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BEETS WITH HORSERADISH (AUSTRIA)
From: Margaret, MA
Source: Memorex Library, International Recipes

2 cups thinly sliced cooked beets
1 small apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 tsp. caraway seeds
2 tsp. horseradish, squeezed dry
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl combine beets and apple. Add caraway seeds and horseradish. In a saucepan combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Simmer 5 minutes, then pour over beets. Chill at least 12 hours, stirring occasionally.

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BEET PESTO
Source: The Hamilton Spectator", September 15, 1993
Makes 4 servings

4 fresh beets with greens
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 red onion, chopped
1 hot banana pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted
Black pepper

Trim and wash beets. Leave 1-inch stem, steam till tender. When beets are cooked, slip skins off under cool water and set aside. Remove leaves from stems and discard stems. Wash and dry leaves, chop coarsely. In a skillet, cook onions, banana pepper and garlic in 1/3 c olive oil till softened. Add beet greens and cook 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a processor and puree with the cooked beets, cut into quarters. Add rest of ingredients and puree again, adding more olive oil if necessary. The pesto keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks or freezes. You can add parmesan cheese if you wish.

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BORSCHT ENERGY SOUP
Source: May All Be Fed by John Robbins (including recipes by Jia Patton and Friends)
Makes 6 servings

1 medium beets, scrubbed and cut into
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 medium kirby cucumber, cut into chunks
1 medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 lemon, peel, halve, remove seeds
1 ripe avocado, peel and quarter
1/2 cup spinach leaves, packed
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts, packed
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons bragg liquid aminos
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable stock or bouillon
Alfalfa sprouts for garnish

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the beet, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and lemon until finely chopped. Add the avocado, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, dill, liquid aminos, and pepper. With the machine running, gradually add the vegetable stock and process until smooth. Transfer the borscht to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve the soup in individual bowls, garnishing each one with alfalfa sprouts.

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BEET MARBLED EGGS
From: Kathy in Bryan, TX

Re: Pickled eggs and beets Here's a neat little trick that you may or may not know, Neysa. When you drop the [hard cooked] eggs into the beet juice, DO NOT peel them. Instead, bash them around a bit to crack the shells really well, then drop 'em, shells still on, in the juice. Drain and shell before serving. (Sorry for insulting your intelligence with the last direction, but someone, somewhere out there is going to miss this step :-) The result is a pickled egg that looks remarkably like the pretty marble eggs you can buy for decoration. They make a beautiful garnish for a cold meat platter, and amazing looking deviled eggs.

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CANNING BEETS (WHOLE, CUBED, OR SLICED)

Quantity:
An average of 21 pounds (without tops) is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints.

A bushel (without tops) weighs 52 pounds and yields 15 to 20 quarts--an average of 3 pounds per quart.

Quality:
Beets with a diameter of 1 to 2 inches are preferred for whole packs. Beets larger than 3 inches in diameter are often fibrous.

Procedure:
Trim off beet tops, leaving an inch of stem and roots to reduce bleeding of color. Scrub well. Cover with boiling water. Boil until skins slip off easily; about 15 to 25 minutes depending on size. Cool, remove skins, and trim off stems and roots. Leave baby beets whole. Cut medium or large beets into 1/2-inch cubes or slices. Halve or quarter very large slices.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with hot beets and fresh hot water, leaving 1-inch head space. Adjust lids and process following the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the method of canning used. Table 1. Recommended process time for Beets in a dial-gauge pressure canner.

Style of Pack: Hot. Jar Size: Pints, Quarts.
Process Time: 30 minutes for Pints, 35 minutes for Quarts.
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
0 -2,000 ft: 11 lb.
2,001 - 4,000 ft: 12 lb.
4,001 - 6,000 ft: 13 lb.
6,001 - 8,000 ft: 14 lb.

Table 2. Recommended process time for Beets in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.

Style of Pack: Hot and Raw. Jar Size: Pints, Quarts.
Process Time: 30 minutes for Pints, 35 minutes for Quarts.
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
0 - 1,000 ft: 10 lb. Above 1,000 ft: 15 lb.

* USDA Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994)
* Meal-Master format courtesy of Karen Mintzias

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CHOCOLATE RED BEET CAKE
From: oav
Makes 10 Servings

2 1/2 cups beets, mashed, cooked
6 eggs
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups oil
3 3/4 cups flour, sifted
3 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking soda
FOR THE FROSTING:
1/4 lb margarine, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Mix beets and eggs. In separate bowl. combine cocoa, vanilla and oil. Mix well. Add the sifted flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add to beet mixture. Mix well in larger bowl. Divide batter between two 9x13 pans, greased and floured.

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool, frost in pans or cool 10 minutes after removal from pans.

FROSTING: Combine all ingredients, except milk, in a large bowl. Beat until spreadable. Add milk, a little at a time, to give spreading consistency.

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PICKLED BEETS
From: SueA, CA
Makes 2 Pints

1 l/3 pounds beets
1 1/3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 l/3 cups honey
3/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

In a large pot, cover the beets with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, sterilize two 1-pint preserving jars and their lids.

In a small nonreactive saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, cloves and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, then set aside to steep.

Drain the beets, rinse under cold water and slip off the skins. Halve any large beets, then slice the beets 1/4 inch thick and pack them in the hot jars.

Return the brine to a boil. Pour the hot brine over the beets to within inch of the rim of the jars, dividing the cloves and cinnamon stick evenly between the jars. Run a small knife or spatula around the inside of the jars to release trapped air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean and seal with the lids. Let cool, then refrigerate.