Remember Bronek’s Beets Opus #1? Here we give you the next, and final instalment with recipes that showcase these terrific root vegetables. While the ancient Greeks are known to have cultivated beets as far back as 300BC, they only ate the leaves. 

Wow, how time changes the way we eat food. I asked a fairly senior farmer at the Farmgate Market what can we do with the leaves? His answer? “Haaa toss them away! Even the sheep won’t eat them!” So for the moment, the focus is on the root, but if any of our friends have something to add about the leaves, be our guests! 

BEETROOT 3 WAYS

Ingredients:

The big jar of pickled beets that we made has now sat for 2 weeks, and is ready for action. I burped it every day, and it bubbled and did its thing very nicely.

For the three dishes we’re expanding this jar of goodness into, you’ll need:

Stock or stock powder

Horseradish cream

Horseradish and Wasabi Mustard (from Tasmania’s Lean to Kitchen, if you can get it)

2 hard boiled eggs (10 minutes)

Sour cream

½ can butter beans (optional)

1 large boiled potato cut into cubes

1 teaspoon chopped greens – parsley, rocket, whatever you have

Method:

1. The pickled beetroot juice: drain it off and refrigerate. Drink a shot of this a day and your gut will thank you. Full of goodness and probiotics, as Bronek attests.

2. Borscht: Cover the beets in water, and put on the stove to boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 12 minutes, until tender. Separate the beets again from this juice, pour it back into a saucepan, add a dessertspoon of stock powder. Bring to boil, stirring, then split this soup which is the basis of our borscht into 1/3 and 2/3. Into the 1/3, take out ¼ cup and mix a big spoon of sour cream into this, then add to the soup. Heat gently, then divide into 2 bowls, add half the potato to each, and top with a boiled egg, halved, and some greens.

For the 2/3, add half a can of butter beans and serve. Top with greens if you like. This should be fine for the vegans out there.

3. Now for the finale. Grate the left over beets into a bowl and add 1 good tablespoon of horseradish cream, and a teaspoon of horseradish and wasabi. You can add a little of the pickled dill, if you bought the bottle from a Polish delicatessen.

And the rest, dear friends, is up to you! These are really easy dishes, could easily be made as a together time with children, and use your imagination and taste buds to try out any flavours and combinations you fancy. I love doing this at Christmas, especially, as the flavours and colours bring food and me, to life!

Do you entertain still, dear readers? I hope this recipe becomes a favourite with you like it has with me!

Chrissie