Tag: Beetroot

Beetroot & Apple Salad

  • Yesterday one of my friends came round with freshly picked beetroots from her allotment.
  • I quickly boiled these and used some of them to make a very simple salad.

Ingredients

  • 3 boiled beetroots
  • 3 eating apples such as Braeburn
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt & Pepper

Method

  • Grate the beetroots using a coarse grater.
  • Peel and core the apples.
  • Grate the apples using a coarse grater.
  • Mix the beetroots and apples together.
  • Pour the lemon juice over them and mix together.
  • Season to taste

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Ukrainian Salad

  • I bought this jar of salad from my Polish shop.
  • It is Sałatka ukraińska – Ukrainian salad.
  • It was very good.
  • Good to have in as a standby.
  • I wanted to make a similar salad.
  • I looked this up and could not find a recipe similar with beetroots.
  • I noted down the ingredients written on the label.
  • Vinegar and sugar were used in the jar – I used lemon juice and honey.
  • The salad will come out differently each time if you change the proportions of the vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium boiled beetroots
  • 1 onion
  • ½ a small white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage
  • 1 large or 2 medium carrots
  • 1 red pepper
  • Juice from 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons of runny – honey 
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

  • Grate the beetroots using a coarse grater.
  • Chop the onion into fine pieces.
  • Shred the cabbage into fine strands.
  • Grate the carrot using a coarse grater
  • Chop the pepper into small pieces.
  • Mix all the vegetables together.
  • Mix the lemon juice and honey.
  • Mix the dressing with the vegetables
  • Season to taste.

Note

  • Tastes good straight away but can be kept in the fridge for several days as well.

    Beetroots & Apples

    This is a delicious way of serving beetroot warm with a roast dinner.

    Ingredients

    • 500g boiled or roast beetroots
    • 2-3 cooking apples
    • 60g of butter
    • Juice and grated rind of a lemon
    • 2-3 tablespoons of creamed horseradish sauce
    • 125ml of soured cream
    • Salt & pepper to taste

    Method

    • Grate the beetroots using a medium grater.
    • Peel and core the apples and grate using a medium grater.
    • Mix the beetroot and apple together.
    • Mix in the lemon rind and juice.

    • Melt the butter in a large shallow frying pan.
    • Gently cook the mixture in the butter stirring often.
    • Cook for around 5-10 minutes.
    • Take of the heat.
    • Add the horseradish sauce and the soured cream.
    • Mix well together.
    • Season to taste and serve immediately.

    Serve in Royal Doulton – Carnation – 1982 – 1998.

    Note

    Should you have any left you can serve it cold with cold meats.

    Beetroot Fritters

    These beetroot fritters are not from an old Polish recipe.  I got the idea from making Polish potato pancakes and  carrot pancakes and seeing all the new season beetroot.

    Ingredients

    • 250g cooked beetroots
    • 1 egg – beaten
    • 2 tablespoons of soured cream or creamed horseradish sauce*
    • 2 tablespoons of plain flour
    • Salt
    • Sunflower oil for frying

    * If you have a little fresh grated horseradish that would be super.

    Method

    • Grate the beetroots using a coarse grater.
    • Add the beaten egg and the soured cream or horseradish sauce and mix together.
    • Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
    • Heat the oil in a frying pan and use large tablespoonfuls of the mixture to make the fritters.
    • Fry them on both sides.
    • *
    • Keep them on a heat proof plate  in a low heat oven whilst you make the rest.

    They can be served with many hot roast dinners or separately with a dollop of soured cream or creamed horseradish sauce.

     

     

    Plates

    • Arc – Arcopal  – from the 1970s
    • Royal Bone China – The Poets’ Garden – Columbine & Sweet Amber

     

     

     

     

     

    Chłodnik – 3 – Beetroot & Cucumber

    This chilled soup is a refreshing start to a meal in summer.

    Beetroot concentrate is used in this easy version.

    Ingredients

    • Half  a cucumber
    • Spring onion – green parts or chives
    • 500ml of yoghurt or 300ml soured cream & lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons of beetroot concentrate
    • Handful of dill
    • Lemon juice and cold water
    • Salt & Pepper & Sugar to taste
    • *
    • Hard boiled eggs to serve – ½ egg per person

    Method

    • Part peel the cucumber length-ways to give stripes.
    • Chop the cucumber into small cubes.
    • Chop the spring onions or chives into small pieces.
    • Chop the dill into small pieces.
    • Mix the yoghurt or soured cream & lemon juice with the beetroot concentrate.
    • Thin this down with lemon juice and water to suit.
    • Mix with the chopped cucumber.
    • Add dill and spring onions or chives.
    • Adjust the seasoning to taste.
    • Chill in the fridge for several hours.
    • *
    • Serve with quarters of hard boiled eggs and a sprinkle of chives.

     

     

    Served in Tapestry  by Royal Doulton – 1966 – 1988

    Chłodnik – 2 – Beetroot & Gherkin

    Chłodnik means coolant and it is a refreshing start to a meal in summer.

    This classic version is usually make with botwiny for which I cannot find a good translation into English.

    Botwiny are young beetroots with the stalks and some leaves still attached. In Poland you can buy bunches of these for sale or you can pick them early from your garden or allotment.  Here in England I have not see them for sale so if you want them you will have to grow them for yourself.

    If you do have some you use all the parts – the roots, stalks and the leaves otherwise you just use cooked beetroot.

    The classic version uses soured milk but unless you have access to this then Greek style natural yoghurt or soured cream and lemon juice are good alternatives.

    I use beetroot concentrate which is convenient and very tasty.

     

    1 tablespoon of beetroot concentrate to 250ml of yoghurt is a good proportion.

    Ingredients

    • 250g of cooked beetroots
    • 3-4 gherkins
    • Spring onion – green parts or chives
    • 500ml of yoghurt or 300ml soured cream
    • 2 tablespoons of beetroot concentrate
    • Handful of dill
    • Lemon juice and gherkin liquor and cold water
    • Salt & Pepper & Sugar to taste
    • *
    • Hard boiled eggs to serve – ½ egg per person

    Method

    • Chop the beetroot into small cubes.
    • Chop the gherkins into small cubes.
    • Chop the spring onions or chives into small pieces.
    • Chop the dill into small pieces.
    • Mix the yoghurt or soured cream & lemon juice with the beetroot concentrate.
    • Thin this down with lemon juice, gherkin liquor & water to suit.
    • Add the chopped beetroots, gherkins, dill and spring onions or chives.
    • Adjust the seasoning to taste.
    • Chill in the fridge for several hours.
    • *
    • Serve with quarters of hard boiled eggs and a sprinkle of chives or dill.

     

    Served in Carnation by Royal Doulton – 1982 – 1998

    Chłodnik – 1 – Clear Beetroots

    The word chłodnik means coolant and it is a refreshing start to a meal in summer.  The word is often translated as cold soup and that just does not do it justice.

    Now my mother never made chłodnik and with the thoughts of a cold soup, which might be a little greasy I never imagined it would be good.

    Then on a summer visit to Poland, one of my aunties made it with beetroots from her garden.  She served it with a bowl of steaming boiled potatoes, lightly crushed, also freshly dug from the garden.  I remember these as the most delicious potatoes I had ever had.  The chłodnik was wonderful and I was hooked!

     

     

     

    This is a chilled version of  barszcz the classic Polish beetroot soup.

    I make the clear, meat-free, Lenten barszcz made for Wigilia – Christmas Eve .

    Many years ago I started to make my barszcz with beetroot concentrate as the base, with the addition of  vegetable stock and this has  proved to be very popular. This is what I used for the chłodnik.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I sometimes also use barszcz from a carton, which is incredible, tastes home made!  However there was none in stock at my local Polish shop last week.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Red on Red!

    • I recently went to a family gathering, although it was in fact a very sad occasion, it did include a lovely buffet meal.
    • There was a beetroot and carrot salad served, which had a lovely sweetness and seemed to me quite Polish in style.
    • I asked one of cousins if she knew who had made the salad and was told that this was one of the dishes supplied by a local “deli” in Consett.
    • So I have had a go at making this and made one with beetroot and another with red cabbage – both delicious.
    • Serve with cold meats and Polish style sausages or roast pork or grilled lamb chops.

    Sweet Red Dressing

    I made the same dressing for both of the salads – using redcurrant the first time and lingonberry the second.

    Ingredients

    • Around 200g (7-8 tablespoons) of either Redcurrant jelly, Lingonberry jam or Cranberry sauce.
    • Juice of one lemon.

    Method

    • Put the jelly/jam into a small saucepan.
    • Add the lemon juice.
    • Heat gently and stir with a wooden spoon.
    • Keep stirring until the ingredients have combined and you have a thick liquid.
    • Leave to cool before use.

    Beetroot & Carrot Salad

    Ingredients

    • Boiled beetroots  – I used 2 vacuum packets
    • 2 Carrots

    Method

    • Chop the beetroot into small chunks or cubes.
    • Grate the carrots using the coarse grater.
    • Mix the beetroot and carrots together.
    • Pour the dressing over them and mix well.
    • *
    • I found that this was better if it was left for many hours as the beetroot really absorbs the dressing.
    • You can add the dressing to the beetroots first and leave overnight and then add the carrots the next day.

    • Instead of chopping the beetroot you can grate it using a coarse grater.

    Red Cabbage & Carrot Salad

    Ingredients

    • Half a red cabbage
    • 2 carrots

    Method

    • Grate the red cabbage using a coarse grater.
    • Grate the carrots.
    • Mix the red cabbage and carrots together.
    • Pour the dressing over them and mix well.
    • *
    • This is also better when left for several hours before serving.

    Note 

    Both keep well for several days in a covered glass or plastic container in the fridge.

    Barszcz – Beetroot Soup

     Barszcz  is the classic Polish beetroot soup.

    Now this may just my imagination but beetroots in Poland just taste so much better and sweeter than the ones I have had in England, maybe it is the variety that is grown there or the soil.   I think you have to use home-grown or organic beetroot to get as good a taste.

    I like the clear, meat-free, Lenten barszcz made for Wigilia – Christmas Eve and have tried over the years many recipes using fresh beetroots, which I have boiled or roasted and also used ready cooked vacuum packed beetroot and adjusted the taste with lemon juice or a little sugar.

     

     

    I have never been truly happy with the results which did not seem to have the sweetness and flavour or the soups I have had made for me.

    Nowadays the way I make  barszcz is my biggest cheat!

    Many years ago I started to make my barszcz with beetroot concentrate as the base, with the addition of  vegetable stock and some grated beetroot to make it look authentic and this proved very popular.

     

    A few years ago I was recommended to try barszcz from a carton – and would you believe it – everyone said this was the best barszcz they had ever had!

    I have used this ever since.

    Served in Carnation by Royal Doulton 1982 – 1998

    Uszka (mushroom filled Polish pasta) are often served in barszcz or a dollop of soured cream is added on serving.

     

    More Hot Beets!

    Beetroot must be one of Poland’s favourite vegetables and I have written recipes about them previously  – many of these are for salads.

    Here is another recipes which I came across recently – raisins, apple, horseradish and a little soured cream is added to make a hot dish to serve with roast meats.

    The original recipe used grated fresh horseradish – I have adapted it by using prepared horseradish sauce which I have in all the time.

    Cooked beetroots are needed and these can be prepared in your favourite way – boiling, steaming or roasting.

     

     

    Ingredients

    700g of cooked beetroots

    2 Bramley cooking apples

    50g of raisins

    1 tablespoon of butter

    80mls of soured cream

    2 – 3 tablespoons of horseradish sauce

    Juice of 1 – 2 lemons

    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them and leave them to stand for about 30 minutes.

    Coarse grate the cooked beetroots or use a blender.

    Peel and core the apples and coarse grate them and pour some lemon juice on them.

    In a deep frying pan gently melt the butter.

    Add the grated apples and heat gently until they start to soften.

    Add the grated beetroot, the raisins and water and continue to heat them together, stirring occasionally.

    Add the horseradish sauce and the soured cream and mix well in, continue to heat for a couple of minutes.

    Add more lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste.

    Serve hot.

     

    Note

    You can put them in an oven proof dish in a low oven whilst you wait for other items to cook.

    20190208_185106

    Served here with kotlety – breaded pork and boiled new potatoes.

    Note

    If you have any left – they taste good cold as well!