beetroot gazpacho

A dish for a late summer day with an autumnal note provided by the beetroot, creating a beautifully red gazpacho. Fast and easy.

2 beetroots (about 500 grs)
8 tomatoes
1/2 onion
1/2 salad cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1 garlic
50ml red wine or sherry vinegar
100 ml olive oil
dash of Tabasco (optional)
salt, pepper

horseradish, freshly grated
Crème fraîche
Smoked trout or caviar

Boil the beets, unpeeled, in salted water until soft but firm, about 20-30 Minutes, depending on size. In the meantime, de-seed the tomatoes, peel the cucumber. Peel the boiled beet, roughly chop all vegetables and blend in a food processor. Reserve some beet cubes for the garnish. Add vinegar, olive oil, Tabasco, olive oil & pepper. Add some boiling water from the beets if the texture is too thick. Garnish with Crème fraîche, beet cubes, trout, fleur de sel and lots of freshly grated horseradish.

Serve slightly warm or cold.

The horseradish can be mixed with an equal amount of a grated sour apple.

Adapted from: Die ZEIT Magazin

Georgian beetroot and walnut salad

Another recipe from the excellent book “Die georgische Tafel” (The Georgian table) by Nana Ansari, who runs a wonderful restaurant on Karmelitermarkt in Vienna.

1/2 kg fresh beetroot
100 grs walnuts
50 grs spring onion
25 grs fresh coriander
25 grs fresh dill
25 grs fresh parsley
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
chili powder

Wash the beetroot and boil for 12 minutes over steam in a pressure cooker. They should be soft but firm. Let cool and peel. Chop into very fine cubes, max half a centimeter long. Roughly chop the walnuts herbs, garlic in a food processor. Add vinegar and season with salt and chili powder. Mix well with the beetroot. Adjust seasoning, serve cool.

Beetroot soup with apple and horseradish

A rich soup with intersecting flavours.

80 g butter

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

700 g beetroot, peeled and sliced

2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

200 ml dry cider

1.2 l chicken stock

3 bunches spring onions, sliced

3 tb creme fraiche

Sweat onions and garlic in 50 g of butter until glossy. Add beetroot and apple, sweat together a bit longer. Add cider and reduce til syrupy, add stock, season, simmer a half hour, blend smooth.

For the garnish sweat the spring onions in remaining butter until soft. Round it all off with creme fraiche.

Georg’s garnish: horseradish dumplings or fresh grated horseradish. Beetroot and horseradish is a marriage made in heaven.

Source: Pawson /Bell

Tags