This is a simple tasty salad that is great for the winter. I just cook the beets and then use vinegar, oil, caraway seeds and salt to prepare the salad. I like to make a big jar full and keep it in refrigerator, it will keep for at least a month. You can serve it as a side dish.
For me, beets are the perfect plant to transition from the the winter into spring. Yes! Spring will come sooner or later, OK most likely later in the Midwest …
Beets are grounding, nourishing, and detoxifying. These qualities make them the perfect vegetable for this time of the year, for both winter and spring. They nourish and detoxify the liver, getting the body ready for the spring.
I used only one spice, caraway seeds. The bitter and aromatic caraway seeds have been around for a long time. They are used in many European countries to enhance the flavor of our food. It is one of the herbs that the ancient Greek doctors added to cooking for its health benefits. It is especially beneficial for digestion. I often take caraway seeds for granted but it is such a neat little herb that needs a little more attention. Please check this website for more info on caraway seeds .
RECIPE
Ingredients
4 medium sized beets (about 1 lb)
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
1/8 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Cook beets for 1 hour until soft but not mushy. I like to put them on a steamer.
When done take the peel off with a sharper small knife. Slice or shred the beets thin. You can do this with a knife or a slicer.
Make the dressing. Put 1/8 cup of vinegar in 1 cup cup. Add enough water so the cup is full so you are adding 7/8th of a cup of water. Pour it in a medium sized bowl.
Add sliced cooked beets, caraway seeds, salt and oil. Mix.
Grind some black pepper on the salad if you wish. Mix.
Serve at room temperature on the side of any dish. You can add sautéed beet tops.
Enjoy this true American deliciousness! The juicy base is both sweet and sour and is covered with the perfectly crumpling, soft topping … Oh and it is begging for a bit of vanilla ice cream!
Cobbler is an American deep-dish fruit dessert. It became a favorite right after I took my first bite. Cobbler is simple yet it is bursting with rich flavor; there is something about it that surely grabs everyone’s attention. You can make it with whatever fruit is available in the season. My mother-in-law made it with rhubarb and berries and that is how I keep making it. Foreigners often complain that Americans don’t have a cuisine of their own. Well this one is an American specialty for sure.
I looked up the history of cobbler so I will try to summarize what I read. Well, one is certain that it is a North American dessert. It seems like it was invented by the settlers from the Old World when they tried to make one of their amazing pies but they did not have all the tools and ingredients that was available back at home. As an immigrant, I can relate to this experience.
The word cobbler might come from the word ‘cobeler’ that meant wooden bowl. They might have attempted to make a more simple version of a traditional pie recipe in a small wooden bowl by the fire. Also, another meaning could come from the word cobbler, the person who mends shoes; kind of like how the dough is mended together like a patchwork. However, none of these speculations of the word’s origin is official.
As I mentioned earlier, I like to make the cobbler with rhubarb, especially in the spring. It is the first fruit, oops I meant to say vegetable here. Yes people often think it is a fruit because of its fruity, sour taste but it is in fact a vegetable. I can’t believe I get excited about rhubarb but it is really the first new plant that shows up at the farmers market in the Midwest … and there is nothing else here for weeks. While it is not a fruit, it can be prepared with sugar to –kind of ‘cheating’- to pretend that it is a fruit. I also like to add rhubarb because the sour flavor nicely offsets the sweetness of the berries.
Rhubarb is native to Siberia and has been around for thousands of years. It has been grown in Asia for its medicinal properties. With the big migration, it was adopted in Europe as well. The settlers brought it over to the United States in the 1700’s and was known as the pie plant. The whole plant except for the leaves are used. The stalks are used as food. The leaves contain oxalic acid and can be poisonous in larger quantities and are therefore not used.
This is a crowd pleaser! The only complaint I have ever heard was why I didn’t make more. I bring this dessert often to potlucks so a lot of people have eaten it. I really think cobbler is as good as pie is or even better. The trick is to get the best rhubarb and the sweetest berries you can find. You can grow them yourself or get them at the farmers’ market. This is really important as the main part of the cobbler is the fruits! Also, make sure you use the exact measurements! Remember, it is still kind of a pie recipe. Can’t just say I take a little bit of this and a little of that …
RECIPE
Serving size: 8
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH
1 1/4 lb rhubarb (4 cups), cut into 1/2 inch pieces (in the store get the thinner stalks)
1 pint (2 cups) berries – I used blackberries and raspberries
½ cup sugar or more if your fruits are not sweet enough. Only use more if your berries are not sweet. 1/2 cup is plenty otherwise, trust me!
salt
1 tsp dried ginger, 2 tsp fresh chopped ginger
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour or 1 Tbsp of corn starch
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING
1 1/3 cup all purpose white flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup cream or 1/2 cup milk
1 lightly beaten egg for the top
extra sugar for the top
vanilla ice cream for serving
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
Have ready an oven proof baking dish that is about 2 quarts large in volume and 2 inches deep (ex 11 x 4 x 2 inch).
Place the rhubarb and the berries in the baking dish. Add pinch of salt, ginger, flour or cornstarch and sugar. Mix. Set aside and wait for at least 15 minutes or at least until rhubarb exudes some juice.
In a separate larger bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. You can use your hand, a pastry blender or a food processor. Add the cream or milk stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Gently need the dough in the bowl 5-10 times if needed, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dough.
Now we will make a patchwork. Divide the dough into 8 parts and flatten each piece between your two hands about 1/4 inch thick. Place each piece on top of the fruit mixture. Keep doing this until you have used up all the dough and the fruits are completely covered. (The dough should be workable but not sticky. If the dough becomes too sticky and hard to work with, put it into the fridge for about 10 minutes to become the proper consistency. This can happen in the summer when it is warm outside).
Lightly brush the top of the dough with the lightly beaten eggs and sprinkle with a little sugar.
Put the cobbler in the oven and bake for about 35 – 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the berries are bubbling.
Every year, I look forward to spring just so I can make this dish. The main ingredients are sorrel and nettle. The sorrel gives a pleasant lemony flavor and the nettles add the substance, texture and protein to the dish. It is a simple recipe to make, the hardest part is really to find the sorrel and the nettles. Our ancestors regularly ate them in the spring but today unfortunately they are seldom available in stores.
My recipe is based on the Hungarian sorrel stew recipe, sóska fözelék with the addition of the nettles. Years ago, I could not find any recipes that had nettles so I decided to experiment. So I decided to make this dish with sorrel and nettle. I make it with half sorrel and half nettle, of course add as much nettles as you desire. I really like how this recipe turned out.
Before I post the recipe, I would like to talk about nettles and sorrel. Nettle is like the super food of the US and Europe. When I think of Nettles, two things come to my mind: nutritive tonic and the kidneys. It is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals and makes a nutritious food for sure. With its sharp, tangy taste, sorrel adds zest to dishes. However, it is not just added for its flavor but it is also a nutritious goodness. Sorrel is a green leafy vegetable packed with vitamins and minerals. No wonder our ancestors frequently included them in their diet.
RECIPE
INGREDIENT
1 lb of washed sorrel or you can use spinach too but the dish will taste differently.
1/2 – 1 lb washed nettles (the nettles should be fresh and stingy but they will not hurt your mouth after you cook them).
oil
2 strips of bacon (optional)
1 onion, finally chopped
3 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika (powder)
few springs of dill, chopped
about 2 cups cold water, vegetable or meat stock (preferably home-made)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
Saute the onions in some oil until translucent and can smell the wonderful aroma of the onion.
If desired add bacon and render until crisp.
Keeping the oil warm add the paprika and the garlic, mix for 1 minute and add cold stock.
Add sorrel and nettles.
Bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.
When done, take off heat and let the dish cool off.
Cream with an immersion blender. Here you are trying to create a sauce with a little texture.
Add salt, sour cream and black pepper to taste.
Serve on mashed potatoes along with fried eggs or hard boiled eggs. Sprinkle dill on top.
Spring is here! In the Midwest of the US, one of the first edible foods in nature is Burdock root. A great way to include burdock in your diet is to make a soup with the roots. Asian cooks rave about their burdock soups that they make in the spring. There is really nothing exotic about this soup, all the ingredients can be found here in the US.I was inspired by Rosalee dela Foret’s delicious burdock root souprecipe.
The burdock’s earthy, heavier flavor pairs nicely with the carrot’s sweet and light flavor. In addition to the bitter flavor, the liver also needs the sour flavor for support. It gets the sour flavor from the vinegar.
This soup is a big favorite in our family, even our dog likes it. How do I know? He comes and watches me while I am preparing the soup and then he keeps barking until he gets some. But the kids like it too. My daughter asked in the winter if I could make the burdock soup for Christmas…
Instructions for boiling the eggs
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Eggs straight out of the fridge need to warm up, otherwise the cooking time needs to be changed. You might have to experiment with the exact cooking time as there are many variables that can effect the cooking time. It should be somewhere between 7 and a half and 8 minutes for 1 egg and more for additional eggs. The eggs should be semi-hard on the outside and be ‘semi-runny’ in the middle.
RECIPE
4 servings
INGREDIENTS
10 cups stock (vegetable or chicken, pork).
2 cups burdock root, cut into match stick pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into match stick pieces
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp of ginger, minced
1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
3 Tbsp cornstarch + 4 Tbsp of water
4 Tbsp of rice or white vinegar
2 lightly beaten egg yolks
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 bunch scallions, chopped
salt to taste
soy sauce
4 hard boiled eggs
hot red pepper or sriracha sauce (optional)
1 pkg ramen noodles (I used HakuBaku Organic Ramen )
METHODS
Bring stock to a boil.
Add carrots, burdock roots, mushrooms, crushed garlic and ginger. After it boils, turn it down to low medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes covered.
In a smaller bowl mix vinegar, the cornstarch and water. Add it to the soup and continue to simmer while stirring until the mixture is thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir egg yolk in gently. Add sesame oil, salt and hot red pepper. Mix.
Make the hard boiled eggs. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Bring some water in a pot to a boil. Add the 4 eggs. Boil them for about 8 minutes. Take them out and put them into cold water. Peel the shells. (Please see my note above).
Cooking the ramen noodles. In a medium sized pot, bring cold water to a boil and cook the noodles. according to its cooking instructions. Strain and discard water.
Serve in a deep bowl. Add ramen noodles and eggs. Garnish with scallions and add soy sauce to taste.
