Middle Easternish beetroot relish

I got given a huge load of beetroot and there's only so much beetroot a girl can eat
I cooked up grated unpeeled raw beets
sliced onions
cumin seed
pickled lemon
wine vinegar
(I better update that thread-the vinegar is now superb!)
grated ginger and garlic
pomegranate molasses
old plum jam/sauce and jar 'rinse water'
A couple of hours on low heat and into sterilised jars.

Awesome with meat, roast veges, lentils, sandwiches...
Chutneys/relishes are usually way better if left to mellow for a couple of months

Leila Rich wrote: there's only so much beetroot a girl can eat

Must not be Eastern European. They can have beets* on the plate for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. I haven't seen it much on the breakfast buffet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some cold beets next to the tray of hard-boiled eggs. And then there is that old standby, barszcz. Or if you are Russian, борщ. Or if you are Belarussian, боршч. Or if you are Ukrainian.....um, let's not talk about Ukrainian barszcz, they put too many strange things in it. But here's a good recipe:



And don't worry that it's in Polish, you can just watch and learn.



*I can't abide by this UK-ism of calling it "beetroot". Yes, we know they are a root, you're just being redundant. You don't say turniproot or carrotroot, why must you add a suffix to beet?

John Elliott wrote:

*I can't abide by this UK-ism of calling it "beetroot". Yes, we know they are a root, you're just being redundant. You don't say turniproot or carrotroot, why must you add a suffix to beet?

It's because we eat the leaves, too. But that's not we're using in this recipe. It would turn out quite a bit different if we did!

I could mutter about your elderberry trees too, while we have elder, which produces flowers, berries AND leaves. And blackberries grow on brambles. And as for the gas you guys put in your vehicles, when it's obviously a liquid...

I actually find it all quite interesting and do attempt to keep a bit of an eye on things to prevent any intercontinental-confusion when I see words that are used completely differently in different regions. I bet I miss loads though.

John Elliott wrote:I can't abide by this UK-ism of calling it "beetroot"

I'll add another language/cultural thing: what you Americans call 'chard', we call 'beet'
so we're not just differentiating between tops and botttoms of the same plant:D
Chard relish sounds...unpleasant!

Swiss chard (not american) is a different, though related plant to beets.

Beet leaves and chard leaves are as different as cauliflower and cabbage, which have different names in American English.

I don't like it when people talk about pulses because I think I'm supposed to grab someone and feel for their heartbeat (not beet).

Dont' call me courgette because I have a lot of courage, even if I'm just a little zucchini.

I don't even remember what you Portuguese people call eggplant.

JOhn S
PDX OR

In being captured by silliness, I forgot to add the actual serious part of the post. Beets are great fermented. They last a long time, especially in your winter. They will help you add positive gut bacteria, they are full of antioxidants, and the fermentation will eat some of the sugar, making them lower on the glycemic index. Since they are somewhat related to cabbage, they should supply plenty of the lacillus bacteria needed to get it started. They taste good and store well then too.
John S
PDX OR

John Elliott wrote: And then there is that old standby, barszcz

I've tried multiple versions, and I've admitted defeat,
apparently I just don't like beetroot soup.
If it needs that much sour cream, bread and butter to make it palatable...

John Saltveit wrote:Beets are great fermented. They last a long time, especially in your winter

I've been fermenting some going on two weeks and as far as my palate's concerned, they're still miles away!
Maybe it's all the sugars.
I did the leaves/stems separately, more out of curiosity than anything: I threw them out the other day as they went really gross.
Speaking of fermented beetroot, I think I need to learn more about kvaas

My beets get soft eventually, just a bit slowly, so they're nice for summer fermentation. I have some pre-fermenting with some garlic. I love fermented garlic when it loses it's bite. In a little while, I'll mix them with the other fermented vegetables so the garlic will have lost it's bite when I eat it with the others.
john S
PDX OR

John Saltveit wrote:
I don't even remember what you Portuguese people call eggplant.

Beringela. Except for the ones who've spent too much time in France - they call it an aubergine.

People from England use the French word too. I just remembered. A lot of us have difficulties when they talk about Swede. We think they're using the nickname of a guy whose family is swedish, but they're really talking about rutabagas.
John S
PDX OR

Leila Rich wrote:
apparently I just don't like beetroot soup.

Like I said, it's a cultural thing. Barszcz with a croquette is comfort food in Poland, kind of like Campbell's tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich is in the U.S.

As long as we are talking about uses for beets, let me add another: pickled eggs. Let the eggs sit in with the pickled beets for a couple weeks, and they take on a nice pink color.

John Saltveit wrote:My beets get soft eventually, just a bit slowly

Like how slowly? Mine have been sitting there for a month
it's my (temperate) winter though.
Just in case, I added more salt to the brine, but beets might be the rare thing that prefer heat to ferment!

John Elliott wrote: pickled eggs. Let the eggs sit in with the pickled beets for a couple weeks, and they take on a nice pink color.

Or fun for kids: hardboil eggs (they mustn't be fresh-you can't peel fresh eggs),
Crack the shells in whatever way the kids like and cool in water from boiled/peeled beets.
Rinse and peel.
Onion skins, tea, turmeric etc are fun too

I had my beets in the sauerkraut during our summer. One month later and they are still tougher than just chewy, almost crunchy. Everything else besides garlic is getting too soft for my preference.
John S
PDX OR