Island Parent February/March 2021

WHAT’SFORDINNER
Naturally Beet-iful
Beets may seem like an uninspiring
vegetable. They are usually found
in the grocery store with their tops
cut off. It’s a slightly different story when
they come from the farmer’s market with
the beautiful red and green leaves still
attached. However, most of us only think
of beets as something you would roast in
the oven.
Beets have a lot more going for them
than that! Here are few reasons beets
should be part of your diet:
1. They are beautiful. The naturally
red colour turns any dish into a bright
pink. Perfect for Valentine’s Day dinner
or a food-colouring-free children’s party.
2. They’re full of vitamins, minerals
and antioxidants
3. Beets are a good source of fibre.
4. They’re heart healthy and help to
lower blood pressure.
Here are three delicious recipes that
all feature beets. Perfect for a Valentine’s
Day dinner or just adding a bit more pink
to your life.
Quick tip: To avoid dying your hands
pink, wear kitchen gloves while chopping,
peeling or grating the beets.
Baba’s Simple Borscht
Prep time 15 minutes;
cook time 30 minutes
This is a simple recipe for a creamy and satisfying
borscht. Instead of providing the bulk of
the flavour, like Polish or Czech borscht, beets
are only one of the vegetables in this soup.
White beans are not traditional, however, they
turn this into a one-pot meal.
1 medium onion
2 carrots
1 beet
1⁄2 small cabbage
1 ⁄4 cup butter
398 ml can of chopped tomatoes
5 cups water
1 1 ⁄2 tsp salt
3 russet potatoes
1 ⁄4 cup whipping cream
4 sprigs fresh dill or 2 Tbsp dried dill
1 can white beans (optional)
1. Finely chop the onions. Grate the carrots
and the beets. Shred the cabbage.
2. Melt the butter in the soup pot over
medium heat. Add onions and fry for about 1
minute before adding the carrots, beets and
cabbage. Continue to fry until the cabbage is
tender.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, water and
salt.
4. Peel and halve the potatoes. Add them
to the soup pot and boil until potatoes are
tender, about 15 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are cooked, use a
slotted spoon to remove them from the soup.
Place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash
with the whipping cream.
6. Stir the mashed potatoes back into the
soup pot, along with the dill. Add the canned
white beans if you want to turn the soup into
a hearty meal.
7. Heat the soup to warm up the beans, but
do not boil.
8. Taste and add more salt if needed.
9. Serve with a slice of crusty bread and
some cheddar cheese.
Bright Pink Risotto
Prep time 5 minutes;
cook time 30 minutes
Risotto is a super simple one-pot meal that
has the mystique of being complicated. Many
recipes require continuous stirring, while the
liquid is slowly added. This isn’t necessary unless
you require perfection. You only need to
stir a few times during the cooking process.
Beets give this risotto a deep pink colour.
I’ve included a small amount of red wine in
the recipe to give it a traditional flavour, however,
it can easily be replaced by more broth.
Also, if you can’t find arborio rice, use any
short-grained rice instead.
4 cloves of garlic
3 beets
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 3 ⁄4 cup arborio rice
1⁄2 cup of red wine
5 1 ⁄2 cups of stock
2 Tbsp butter
1⁄2 tsp salt, to taste
1 1 ⁄2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1. Dice the garlic. Peel and chop the beet
into small cubes.
2. Heat the oil on medium in a large pot.
Add the garlic and beets with a pinch of salt.
Fry for 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook for another 3 minutes,
stirring occasionally to make sure the
rice is nicely coated in oil.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add in the
red wine. Stir to mix well, then add in all of
the stock.
5. Cover and cook until the rice is soft and
the liquid is absorbed, about 20–30 minutes.
Stir 3–4 times during the cooking process to
prevent any rice from sticking to the bottom
of the pot.
6. When the rice is cooked, remove from
the heat and stir in the butter. Taste it and add
more salt as needed (it will depend on the
saltiness of the stock).
7. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan
cheese and a side salad.
26 Island Parent Magazine IslandParent.ca