And the Beet goes on…

Beets are another one of those vegetables that I dislike that I dislike. Aside from being easy to grow and providing good roots and greens, they are absolutely beautiful. Beets, even more so that carrots, tend to be the quintessential ‘farm market icon.’ Before I started managing the market this year our poster had a big beet on it…then we changed to include more craft items, so the beet was relegated to the sidelines…and the carrot took its’ place…along with a jar of honey…a muffin…and some scissors and fabric. So despite this slight on my part…lets put the beet back where it can proudly belong…front and center in a good food recipe.

Now, these two recipes are very ‘loose’…meaning I am going to give you the basics and you are going to have to do some tasting, testing, and trusting on your own…but don’t worry…you’ve got this! These recipes are also quite simple, really…I would not lie to you! Aside from the dough for the steamed buns (I told you I wouldn’t lie!), you really can’t go wrong. So lets put any trepidation aside and get at it! Let’s cook!

STEAMED BORSCHT BUNS

If you have every made borscht, then you are more than halfway to mastering these tasty little treats. Basically, this is ‘borscht’ without the broth, wrapped in dough, and steamed on the stovetop. There are a multitude of different borscht recipes for probably every household that has traditionally made this hearty root veg based soup, so feel free to use whichever variation suits you…make it yours! I made mine two ways…one with sausage (for my little carnivores) and one without sausage (for me). I do not cook vegan, and do not know all the intricacies of the diet, so I would never label anything ‘vegan’ that I wasn’t sure of, but I do believe these are close…possibly eliminating the oil for frying, and definitely the sausage and sour cream.

Steamed Buns

To save time and space I will refer you to the website where this recipe came from. The only advise I have is to really obey the ‘scant’ 3 cups of flour. I ‘scanted’ all 3 cups and ended up with a pretty ‘wet’ dough that still rolled out beautifully without needing any extra flour. The first time I tried this dough I used a full 3 cups of flour and the dough was very stiff and did not steam as well. Good luck!

Hawaiian Style Manapua Buns

Once the dough is finished and left to rise (again, this is something you can do in the morning and let sit until you are ready to use. When the dough has ‘risen’ enough it can be put in the fridge to ‘hold’…just bring it out soon enough so it can come to room temperature before you start rolling it out.) start on the filling.

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Filling Ingredients

• 4 small beets, grated (the smaller the better I think…more sweet and tender)
• 4 small potatoes, grated
• 2 smaller carrots, grated
• 2 small or 1 medium onion, grated (I used red, but whatever you have)
• 1/4 head cabbage, grated
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• ~2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 pound pork breakfast sausage, or equivalent (optional)
• sour cream
• chives or dill (some recipes use chives…some use dill…whatever you like)
• steamer basket or equivalent set-up (metal colander over a pot of boiling water with lid…aluminum foil can help keep in steam if wrapped around any gaps)

In a medium saucepan heat the oil and sauté all the grated vegetables until just tender, adding salt and pepper to taste. For the sausage version I cooked the sausage halfway through first, then added the grated vegetables and finished cooking everything together. The sausage had its’ own seasoning so I needed less salt and pepper. For both versions, add the tomato paste and start with 1 Tablespoon sugar. If the vegetable mix is a bit ‘thick’ add a little water. We don’t want soup but we want a good moist filling. Taste and add more sugar, salt, or tomato paste as needed. Let cool until easy to handle or room temperature (this could also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator).

As per the bun instructions, divide the raised dough into 16 balls. Pro tip! Cut out 16 squares of parchment paper, one for each bun. This will keep the buns from sticking in your steamer (you will see what happens when you don’t from my photos!). Roll each ball into an approximate 5″ round, fill with a good tablespoon of filling, and as artistically as possible gather the sides up, twist to close, and slightly push down.

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Fill steamer basket with finished buns, leaving some space between the buns for expansion. After the water has come to a constant rolling boil (not too much water so as to submerge/boil the buns…but watch that there is always ample water so they steam properly), place the steamer basket(s) with lid over the water and set timer for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let sit for 5 minutes. The buns can then be removed and continue with another round until they are all done. Serve warm with sour cream dip: sour cream mixed with either dill or chives. Enjoy!

Leftovers? Well…they are almost better warmed up the next day in a skillet with a little oil. Kind of like the difference between steamed potstickers and fried potstickers. Or heat them up in the toaster oven (sorry, I don’t own a microwave).

CE-BEET-CHE (BEET CEVICHE)

Ceviche is typically a dish made with seafood that is ‘cooked’ in citrus, traditionally lime or bitter orange. The inspiration for this dish came when I realized a chunk of cooked beet looked a lot like a chunk of fresh ahi tuna. I used the citrus of this dish to help cut the often ‘earthy’ flavor of the beet…and gave it a one-two punch with some heat. This dish can easily be made with or without seafood: I did use shrimp. It is an extremely beautiful, and I think elegant, dish that is perfect for a hot summer night. Again, I believe this would be a vegan dish if you omitted the shrimp, and gluten-free if you used corn tortillas (duh, right?), and definitely dairy free…so I think a great get-together dish to cover a wide range of dietary needs. Here’s how I did it:

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Ingredients:

• 4 small beets, boiled until fork tender, cooled, peeled, and cubed
• 1 bell pepper, cubed
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (I like hot so I didn’t remove the seeds. If you like hotter, go for it! Bump it up to an habanero or whatever makes you cry!)
• 1 medium sized red onion, cubed
• 4-5 green onions, diced (I had some extra so I added them)
• 4 medium-small tomatoes, diced (I don’t de-seed)
• 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and minced (I don’t think you can ever have too much garlic)
• 1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed, dried, and ‘chopped’ (scissors can help a lot here)
• 2 lemons, 2 limes (possibly more)
• clamato juice (or any tomato juice and clam juice)
• hot sauce (again, your favorite)
• salt and pepper
• tortilla chips (get GOOD ones, hearty ones, they need to stand up to the scoop!)
• raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)

This is basically an ‘assembly’ dish…no cooking once the beets are done. I layered everything up in a dish for a pretty photo, but you can easily start in a regular bowl. For the beets and shrimp (if using), place in a bowl and cover with the lemon and lime juice. You may need more juice pending the fruit…make sure the beets and shrimp are completely covered and let sit until shrimp turn from grey to pink…I usually let it sit at least 30 minutes. My pen pal sent me her family’s authentic ceviche recipe and she refrigerates her shrimp overnight and drains the juice before using the next day. Maybe I am impatient? lazy? But I can never seem to plan that far ahead so I just throw everything together at the same time. You choose for you!

Basically, it is now a free for all…toss all the other vegetables plus the cilantro in with the beets and/or shrimp, salt (pepper if you want) to taste (tasting is easier at the end when you mix it all up), and add enough clamato juice to coat (the vegetables will give up their ‘juice’ so this doesn’t need to start out as soup). Give the bowl a good mix and now really taste…add more citrus, salt, clamato juice, and/or hot sauce as needed. As everything sits in the beet juice it will turn a magnificent fuchsia color. I serve in a ‘rocks glass’ so you can really see the beautiful color of the liquid AND so I can drink the juice…it is seriously that good. Garnish with extra cilantro and a lime wedge, and serve with a spoon and chips. Enjoy!

NOTE: In re-reading my pen pal’s original recipe, she added diced cucumber. I was kind of tired of cucumbers by this point, but feel free to add! Other veggies that would probably work well would be radish or celery. Possibly cubed avocado on top as a garnish for a little extra color and creaminess. Get creative!