27/01/2010 by D.

2 beetroot
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 stock cube (beef or veg)
1 ltr boiling water
2 tbsp vinegar

Peel and grate the beetroot, potatoes and carrots.  Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.

In a large soup pan, gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until glassy, then add the remaining veg and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add the stock, boiling water, vinegar and caraway, bring to a simmer.

Make sure the stock covers all the veg by about 1cm.  If not, add a little more water and leave to boil for an hour, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste.

Serve in bowls with a big dollop of sour cream, smetana or greek yoghurt spooned in at the last minute, and hunks of crusty bread.

This is a beautifully coloured, sweet and sour winter warmer.  It is very filling and has a deep, earthy flavour and reheats well.

You can add a quarter of finely shredded cabbage when you add the other veg, should you have it, but do check the seasoning carefully as you may need a little more stock.

Posted in Beef stock, Cabbage, Caraway, Beetroot, Garlic, Potato, Carrot, Onion, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

27/10/2009 by D.

2 small or 1 large beetroot
1/2 red onion (or 1 small one)
1/2 pack feta
dash balsamic (optional)

Roast the beetroot whole as you would potatoes (why not put some pototoes in at the same time, this is lovely with baked spuds).  They take around 40 mins to an hour.  Don’t expect them to go soft like baked potatoes though, you’ll just get a little bit of give when they are ready!  While they are baking, finely dice the onion, and cube the feta into small cubes.  When the beets are ready, leave to cool a little, then peel and cube the same size as the feta.  Mix them all together.  Thats it.  Add balsamic if you like it, though usually this beautiful pink and red salad balances perfectly without it.  I keep a tub of this in the fridge and stuff toasted wholemeal pitta breads with it for lunch.  It keeps well for a few days.

Posted in Beetroot, Feta, Onion, Recipe | Print | 1 Comment »

21/10/2009 by D.

fruit: conference pears, cox apples, bananas, lemon, honeydew melon
veg: spinach, butternut squash, button mushrooms, carrots, ambo potatoes, onions, beetroot, reddish green peppers

The bags smell lovely and earthy tonight and those mushrooms look delicious!  I’m pleased to see plenty of pears too, so poached pears with chocolate sauce and ice cream will definitely feature this week as a recipe.  I also fancy a retro melon and prosciutto starter; very popular with both the babies!

The mushrooms are either going into a mushroom barley bake, or will be wiped, stalk trimmed and dipped in garlicky egg, then breadcrumbs and shallow fried in hot groundnut oil.  Yummy with some thick herby greek yoghurt (oh alright then, or garlic mayonnaise!).  The butternut squash will be stuffed, and I’m going to bake the beetroot at the same time, for a beetroot, feta and red onion salad later in the week.  The spinach will probably be curried along with the potatoes and carrots.  I’m getting very hungry now: I just have to decide which one is for supper!

Posted in Garlic, Melon, Feta, Beetroot, Mushroom, Pear, Weaning, Toddler, Onion, Organic Box | Print | 1 Comment »