Monday, August 26, 2013

Beetroot

After a long break from blogging (but not from cooking), I have decided to once again use my blog to record recipes, write reviews and hopefully inspire you, my dear readers.

The other day, while out grocery shopping, I noticed a one kilo bag of baby beetroots for $1!  As a university student, with almost no disposable income, a bargain like this is almost impossible to refuse.  One kilogram of beetroots - what was I going to do with them?!  After much thought, I decided to make a beetroot and goat cheese risotto and a Russian salad - Vinaigrette.    So dear readers, I would like to know, what you love to cook with beetroots?

Beetroot and Goat Cheese Risotto (Serves 4-5)

Ingredients
- 300 grams of baby beetroots
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 and 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/3 cup white wine
- vegetable stock cube (I used Massel)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- white pepper
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
- 30 grams butter
- soft goat cheese to serve

Method
1.  Place baby beetroots into a saucepan of cold water (approximately 1.5-2L of water).  Bring to the boil and simmer for 40mins or until the beetroots are just tender.  Take them off the heat. (Do NOT discard the cooking water).   When the beetroots are cool enough to handle, peel the beetroots (the hotter they are, the easier it is to peel).  The skin should slide off easily in your hands.  Discard the peel.
2.  Place the peeled beetroots into a food processor with the balsamic vinegar.  Pulse until fine.
3.  Bring the beetroot water back to boil and add the vegetable stock cube and stir.  Once the stock has dissolved, take off the heat and cover.
4.  In a large pan on medium heat, saute the onions on the olive oil until translucent (approx. 5 mins)
5.  Add the arborio rice and gently stir to coat the rice in the oil (2-3mins).
6. Add the white wine and stir until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
7.  Add a laddle of the beetroot/stock water to the pan, gently stirring the rice until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
8.  Repeat step 7 for around 20 minutes.  (If you run out of stock, and the rice is not completely cooked, add a laddle of boiling water instead).
9.  Once the rice is al dente, add the butter, beetroot, parmesan, salt and pepper.  Take off the heat once all the ingredients have been well mixed together.
10.  Serve with crumbled goat cheese on top

* * *


Vinegrette Salad
Ingredients
- 250 grams baby beetroots
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 carrot, peeled
- 1/2 white salad onion
- 4-5 large pickled cucumbers
- 3-4 tbsp sauerkraut
- 1 can of garden peas (200g), liquid discarded and peas rinsed well
- 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper

Method:
1.  Place baby beetroots into a saucepan of cold water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 40mins or until the beetroots are tender.  When the beetroots are cool enough to handle, peel the beetroots (the hotter they are, the easier it is to peel).  The skin should slide off easily in your hands. 
2.  Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, place whole potatoes and carrot into cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked.  Like with the beets, peel the potatoes when they are cool enough to handle.
3.  Finely dice the onion.  Add to salad bowl.
4.  Dice beetroot, carrot, potatoes and pickled cucumbers and add to the salad bowl.
5.  Add the sauerkraut, garden peas, mayonnaise, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix well and taste for seasoning. 
Note: this salad tastes better the next day, once the flavours have been able to develop.  If you don't like mayonnaise, it can be substituted with extra olive oil and white wine vinegar.

5 comments:

  1. Hello Katia,
    You have very nice blog indeed! I am going to follow you and taste your recipes also!

    Best regards from Crete/Greece

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  2. I really like the salad. had something like it from a Russian restaurant recently and I really liked it!

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  3. These recipes look really inspiring. Usually I just roast beetroot whole with a bit of maple syrup then eat them plain, or use them in hummus. Will have to try that risotto, it sounds amazing.

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    Replies
    1. Roasting them with maple syrup - great idea! That will be something I will be sure to try next time!

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  4. hmm, Russian do not use mayonnaise in Vinegrette Salad, just oil (not olive, only sunflower oil)

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