Three ways with Beetroot

I love beetroot.

Mum grows way too many veggies for her and Dad. I secretly think she loves to just grow stuff, so she can give it away.

If I was as good as growing veggies as her, I want to grow it all too. 

Beetroot's the latest thing she's sent me home with. I've said I love it, haven't I? I don't think I have said how crappy I am at growing it myself though. I am trying.

I made a couple of jars of beetroot relish with it. A beetroot and ricotta tart too, based loosely on this recipe, which was delicious by the way. A little ugly to look at, like something you'd serve at Halloween, but delicious all the same. I might use less beetroot next time, or even try it with pumpkin or some other veggie. I will blog the recipe when I get it right.

I still had beetroot to use and a brain wave to bake with it. I went to google for a recipe for Beetroot and chocolate cupcakes and found this one for muffins.

I ate these over a few days. Summer helped. After a couple Izzy cottoned on, and mentioned that the chocolate tasted funny. Dang! No fooling her. 

I thought they were fucking amazing! I was in heaven with every bite, and seriously, you would hardly know there was beetroot in there.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Roasted beetroot and macadamia nut dip #helpimhandwriting

I took this along to my brothers 40th celebrations. I was asked to bring a nibbles platter. No one was really nibbling, too much drinking going on by that stage. The kids gathered round the nibbles table and demolished just about everything, except this dip! Fussy farts. 

I nibbled. Oh, I nibbled.

I am taking Ann from Help I'm Stuck's lead, and handwriting the recipe. It's a stroke of genius on her part, it is refreshing to see some handwriting on the net. This is also exactly how I would have written in it my scrap book of recipes. 

Linking with Tegan for The Lounge and I brought nibbles!

Beetroot relish

I am a total sucker for those marked down bags of produce at the supermarket. A bag of beets for $3? No, nothing absolutely crazy about that! I'll take one! 

I love trying out something new. A cooking challenge. A new taste sensation.

You came to the right place if you want too much information, I peed red for a day after scoffing the beets I roasted. Bloody delicious! Chop into chunks(about 3cm), smother in oil, salt and pepper and roast(190C) for about 20 minutes. Yu-umee!

I also made this relish. Great on burgers, and great as a side at your next barbie. Barbecue weather is beating on the door. Can't wait.

Beetroot Relish

4 cups of grated beetroot(about 5-6 beets)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

Add grated beetroot, sugar and vinegar into a saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and mix comes to the boil.
Simmer for 25 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.
Stir through salt and spoon into clean hot jars, that have been sterilised in the oven at 190C for 15 minutes.

Do you love beets? 

What's your 'must have' on the menu, when you BBQ?

I have an awesome burger recipe tomorrow, you should check it out. So tasty. Perfect for the barbie, a hamburger or just rissoles for dinner. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Can't beet a root #openslather

Boggy is known for his 'dad joke' sayings. 'You can't beet-a-root', is one of those. It's said when the fact that beetroot is on the dinner plate, comes up in conversation at the table. Probably not appropriate in front of posh company.

Izzy has confidently come out with it at our tea time in a matter-of-fact way, being quite pleased with herself. Little dag.

With the onset of warmer weather, a can of beetroot is always in the pantry. I serve it up with salads, we all love it except for Izzy, so in her case you CAN beet a root(vegetable that is)! Even Summer has a go at it.

I've tried to grow them before with not much success. I'm having another go with some heirloom beetroot seedlings I got from my brother in law. I think they are different colours to the normal beetroot. If nothing else goes right, at least I can use the leaves in salads.

If you're into companion planting they grow well with onions, silverbeet, lettuce, cabbage and dwarf beans, but not well with taller beans.

I have mine growing in a wine barrel with a cherry tomato, well see how they go.

I got some off Mum that she's just pulled up and put them in jars.

Bake for two hours at 180 degrees in a tray covered with foil. Put the bigger ones around the outsides of the tray and the smaller ones in the middle. Let cool in the tray.

With gloves on, peel and slice or quarter, however you like them.

Put the slices into cold sterilised jars. To sterilise jars I put them in a 150 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Always put cold into cold jars and hot into hot jars, you might crack or shatter the glass otherwise.

Take a cup of liquid, use any juice from the pan, if any, with water.
Mix with one cup of vinegar.
Pour this into the jar to cover the beetroot.
I chucked a bay leaf in each jar with two peppercorns as well. 

You may have to make more depending on how much you have to jar.

Keep the jars in the fridge.

Are you a beetroot fan? How do you love to eat yours?

Orange Salad

It's as simple as

4 oranges, sliced into rounds

1 small onion, thinly sliced

you can add 

 100gr olives

or pistacchio nuts

try this dressing

  1/2 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 tspn cumin

1/2 tspn sweet paprika

  

*****or*****

Orange and Beetroot Salad 

8 baby beets (canned), cut into wedges

2 oranges, segmented

1/2 onion, sliced thinly

 

with this dressing

1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 Tblsp olive oil

2 Tblspn fresh mint