Tag Archives: beetroot

Monastery beetroot salad with coriander seeds

 Hello guys! How is your foodie-blogo-life going on?
I’ve wanted to post this recipe for so long that almost forgot about it. When I was a student I didn’t want to spend much time cooking, so the food was usually prepared well ahead of time, and then reheat, or simple dishes were all the time favorite, like boiled potatoes served with homemade pickles or macaroni a la flot, or famous salad vinegret was cooked pretty often. So, the recipe of this salad I read in one tiny little book with few recipes suitable for the Lent diet, when you’re not allowed to eat meat and dairy products; and I liked it from the first spoon (even though first time I didn’t use neither honey or coriander seeds) and since then I prepare it. I highly suggest not to omit coriander seeds, as they give so much flavor, and the simple beetroot salad turns into something special. And I love the idea that this bright salad can be made all year round and served whether as a starter or a healthy main dish (add some roast fish steaks on a side for the more nourishing meal).

MonasteryBeetroot Salad

Monastery beetroot salad with coriander seeds

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: very easy
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You’ll need 
450-500g beetroot
2 medium brown onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 tbsp whole coriander seeds, crushed
150g prunes, without stones
100g walnuts, raw or dry-roasted
2 tsp runny honey
some chopped parsley or dill, for garnish, optional
How to make it
  1. Boil or roast beetroots until ready to eat. Peel, cut into cubes or wedges.
  2. Saute onions in oil until translucent, add coriander seeds and fry for 1 minute more.
  3. Chop prunes and walnuts, combine with honey. Mix into beetroot.
  4. Drizzle with extra oil and honey, if desired. Sprinkle with some more coriander seeds and (optionally) with fresh chopped parsley or coriander.
Enjoy!
MonasteryBeetroot Salad with coriander seeds

 

Russian Beetroot Caviar

 This bright beetroot dip doesn’t contain salmon or any other fish raw. In my home-country vegetable spreads and dips that are mushed into a non-smooth consistency are often called caviar. In USSR fish caviar was an expensive product and most of the time was served over special occasions, but people have always wanted something tasty not only during holidays or weekend; and such vegetables as an eggplants, marrows and beetroots were cheap and available almost throughout the year, thus I guess economical version of the “caviar” was created.

russian-beetroot-caviar

 The recipe I found in a book dated 1990, it calls to boil beetroot, fry onions and press through the  meat-grinder machine along with other ingredients. Easy-peasy. It turned out so tasty, that i have already made it few times in a row! Moreover, it was a hit at the home-party, especially when I served this dip nicely decorated with little festive crackers; needless to say, guests asked for the recipe!
 The original Russian recipe calls for the salted pickled cucumbers, which are usually watery and personally I don’t like its taste, so I used regular crunchy pickled cucumbers and the beetroot dip was absolutely amazing and delicious! I prefer slightly coarse a caviar-like texture, so I don’t blend ingredients too much, but if you wish – just blitz it more to get the smooth dip. Enjoy!

Russian Beetroot Caviar

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients 
400g/2 medium-size beetroots
2 tps olive or sunflower oil, for frying
1/2 large brown onion
~100g pickled cucumbers
2 cloves of garlic
Salt&Pepper, to taste
Method 
  1. Boil beetroots until soft. Cool, clean and chop.
  2. Chop the onion and fry in a oil until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
  3. Finely chop cucumbers. Also finely chop or mush garlic.
  4. Blitz all ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency.
  5. Check the seasoning. Serve with rye bread or crackers.
Enjoy!

Name it!

So the salad which I’ve written about called as “broom” or “brush”, composed of raw vegetables, it evacuates the bowels as a broom (sweeps out all waste products from or digestive system).

 It has the specific flavour which may varies depending on a beetroot – more sweeter or rough. You need to press several times thinly shreded vegetables (raw!) – that’s it! And if you don’t like in a least add some lemon juice. But here of course sense not in a taste –  in a usefulness. Hope this “broom’ will do you good! 😉

And again easy and tasty

   Hi! I’m here again. Busy days, beach and sun. And diet or a sort of that. Was cooking in steamer – chicken, some veggies, have made pasta with mushrooms and cheesy sauce – nothing special. And the salad with fresh and thinly sliced cabbage, carrots and raw beetroot. Guess how do we call such salad in Russia? (answer will be in next post).

   Almost forgot to say – I’ve baked 2 chocolate cakes!! Yahoo! Hope I’ll make them once again and take not only phone’s pics. You can follow me on twitter – twitter.com/milkandbun  and find some others pics there 🙂

 And for a while greet the salad with figs and rucola leaves!
 Rucola has so many names… aragula/arugula, rugula, rocket… 
 
  So take a plate and washed arugula leaves.
Sprinkle arugula with mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 1-2 tsp dejon mustard.
  Cut figs, radishes and put them over arugula leaves. Add feta cheese, pine nuts and pancetta (it’s Italian bacon and I adore it! It isn’t necessary but of course more tasty). You can substitute it with bacon cutted into pieces. 
Enjoy! 🙂