Vegetarian Borscht

Beets were initially domesticated along the Mediterranean for their edible leaves and later for their sweet colorful roots. Though borscht may be served hot or cold, spelled any number of ways and made with a great variety of ingredients, the essential ingredient of borscht is beet. Borscht originated in Eastern Europe, likely in the Ukraine where the greatest number of variations on the soup are found and was predominately a peasant dish as beets were inexpensive. Eastern European and Middle Eastern immigrants introduced borscht into American cuisine and it continues to be a commonly served soup. Borscht is delicious served with a leek galette and arugula salad.

4 medium beets

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 stalks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 medium onion, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig parsley

1 sprig oregano

3 tbsp butter

3-4 c water

salt and pepper

sour cream

parsley

1. In a large pot and steamer basket, steam beets until tender, 30-45 minutes. Peel beets while still warm and roughly chop. Set beets aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottomed pot, heat butter over medium low heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot and herbs. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes.

3. Once vegetables are tender, add steamed beets and 3 c water. Return to a simmer, remove from heat and cool slightly. Using a blender, food processor or immersion blender, purée ingredients until smooth, adding additional water as desired.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sour cream and fresh parsley as desired. Serve borscht warm, room temperature or chilled.

Serves 3-4

Beets and Tangerines with Honey Mint Dressing

Beets and citrus compliment each other and make a delicious and beautiful combination for salads. I was inspired by Moroccan beet salads, commonly served on a salad plate at the beginning of a meal, which I was served while traveling through southern France. I decided to use tangerine, a variety of the Mandarin orange, as often they seem to have a stronger flavor than orange, which lends itself nicely to the sweet earthy flavor of the beet. I like this salad with roasted bell peppers or chicken and vegetable tagine.

Oranges may be used instead of tangerines. Larger beets may be used, in lesser quantities.

4 small beets, trimmed

2 tangerines

½ lemon, juiced

1 tsp honey

1 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Steam beets until tender, 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and peel under cold running water. Thinly slice beets into rounds and set aside in a medium metal bowl.

2. To segment tangerines: using a serrated knife, slice the two ends off of the tangerine. Placing the tangerine on one end, carefully remove the peel working from end to end and rotating tangerine. After peel is removed, segment the tangerine by cutting along the edge of each dividing skin. Roughly chop the segments and add them to the beets.

3. Thoroughly combine honey, lemon juice, mint and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour dressing over beets and tangerines, gently tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve room temperature or chilled over greens.

Serves 3-4

Beet Salad with Roasted Fennel and Goat Cheese

I am not quite sure why the combination of beets, fennel and goat cheese works so well, but it most certainly is delicious maybe due to the strong but subtle flavors of each ingredient. Beets are a lovely root to cook with because they have a sweet mellow flavor and retain their vivid color after cooking. This salad reminds me of spring, and so somehow seems especially fitting to be eaten in the middle of winter. Beet salad accompanies stewed pork or stuffed vegetables very well.

Using only one color of beet will work just as well. Any other green may be used instead of or in addition to arugula.

For Gabrielle and Nate because I made this salad for their wedding using vegetables they grew on their farm in Maine.

2 medium purple beets

2 medium golden beets

¼ c goat cheese, crumbled

1 bulb of fennel, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise

4 c arugula

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss fennel with olive oil and spread evenly in a large baking pan. Place fennel in the oven and roast until slightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Once browned, remove from oven, turn oven off and set fennel aside.

2. Meanwhile, steam whole beets until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Once tender, remove beets from heat and peel skin using hands or a peeler while beets are still hot. Cut each beet into 8-10 segments, keeping the colors in separate bowls.

3. Divide fennel and parsley evenly between the two bowls of beets, add ½ tbsp olive oil to each bowl. Stir each bowl to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve beets over arugula and top with crumbled goat cheese. May be plated on a large platter or in individual portions.

Serves 3-4

Chicken and Vegetable Tagine with Garlic Currant Couscous

I became interested in cooking tagines a few years ago, while making a northern African inspired meal for a belly-dancing event at the Feathered Pipe Ranch. Tagines are braised stews of spiced meats and vegetables found in Morocco. They receive their name from the clay pot they are cooked in, which consists of a wide shallow bottom dish and a conical cover. A close friend gave me a tagine a few years ago, but alas it is in storage so I made do with a Dutch oven. Beet and tangerine salad or arugula and orange salad are bright citrus additions to a tagine.

Larger golden beets will work as well; I would not use red beets, as they will dye the entire dish. Additional carrots, squash or turnips may be used instead of beets. Water could substitute for wine. If you are using a tagine pot, the braising portion of the recipe would happen in the oven after being readied on the range.

Chicken and Vegetable Tagine

1 lb chicken thighs, skinned and boned

1 medium yellow onion, trimmed and chopped

2 medium yukon potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ½ inch rounds

10 small golden beets, quartered

1 zucchini, trimmed, halved and sliced into ½ inch segments

½ green pepper, trimmed and finely diced

1 tart apple, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped

½ c white wine

1 c chicken stock

½ c water

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp honey

1 sprig of thyme

¼ c parsley, roughly chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Garlic Currant Couscous

2 c cooked couscous

½ c currants

½ red onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped

¼ c parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Chicken and Vegetable Tagine

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken and brown both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from Dutch oven, place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Working in separate batches, brown onions, apples, potatoes, carrots and beets in the Dutch oven over medium heat, placing browned vegetables aside with chicken and adding olive oil to Dutch oven as necessary.

3. Next, combine white wine, cinnamon, honey thyme and garlic to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, return browned chicken and vegetables to the Dutch oven and bring liquid back to a simmer. Once simmering again, add water and chicken stock, stir to combine. Cover Dutch oven, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Add zucchini and green pepper, cover and continue to simmer until tender, about 5 minutes, adding water ¼ c at a time as necessary to maintain cooking liquid.

5. Once all vegetables are tender, add parsley and remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm over garlic currant couscous.

Garlic Currant Couscous

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until onions begin to brown slightly. Add currants and continue sautéing until currants are soft. Turn heat off, add parsley and garlic and sauté off heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Combine sautéed ingredients with cooked couscous in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 3-4

Fresh Pickles

I love pickled vegetables, of all varieties, likely due to my northern European heritage. As I tend to err on the side of impatience, I prefer to make fresh pickles instead of actually canning because they are delicious, easy to make and last for a few months in the refrigerator. Making your own fresh pickles is a lovely way to eat more vegetables.

Different combinations of vinegars, vegetables and herbs may be used depending on preference and availability.

Beets with Thyme

4 medium beets, steamed until tender, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds

1 small yellow onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large clove of garlic, smashed

1 long sprig of thyme

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1 ½ tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 c apple cider vinegar

1 c water

1 quart-liter size glass jar with lid

Cucumbers with Sage

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds

1 small yellow onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large clove of garlic, smashed

1 long sprig of sage

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1 ½ tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 c rice wine vinegar

1 c water

1 quart-liter size glass jar with lid

Carrots with Rosemary

4 medium carrots, peeled, cut into rounds and steamed until tender

1 small yellow onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large clove of garlic, smashed

1 long sprig of rosemary

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1 ½ tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 c apple cider vinegar

1 c water

1 quart-liter size glass jar with lid

1. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, onions and garlic in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Simmer until salt and sugar is dissolved and onions are tender, about 4-5 minutes, and then remove from heat.

2. Meanwhile, place herb sprig in jar. Next, layer the prepared vegetables with the cooked garlic and onions. Finally, pour the heated liquid over the ingredients in the jar, cover with lid and place in the refrigerator.

3. Allow to pickle for about one day. Fresh pickles will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Makes 2-3 cups of pickles