Beet it ;)

I had the very good fortune to receive a bundle of wonderful summer veg today from Stonelane Orchard - they sell their pesticide-free produce at local market gardens; including the St. Norbert Market.

Among the lush kale, chard, tomatoes, peas and so on, was a spectacular, large bunch of red beets with perfect leaves. I said to Stonelane co-owner, Rick, "OMG, these are the most beautiful beets I have ever seen!" and he remarked, simply "Our beets always look like this." Too cute - nice to know that vegetable heaven can be enjoyed here on Earth - at least through the short summer growing season! Needless to say, I was inspired and I couldn't wait to get home and start cooking. I surfed the net for a short while, wondering if I could find something new and exciting, but my tastebuds were yearning for some traditional Russian favourites: borscht and beet leaf rolls (holuptsi)

As things got underway in the kitchen, my daughters began swarming - wondering when the soup would be ready. Nice to be popular- if only for sustainance LOL.

I make my borscht using chicken or vegetable broth, preferring this to the pork-based version my German mother makes (sorry, Mom - just not a pork fan...). Here are the recipes for Beet Rolls and Borcht - I hope you will try the recipes and enjoy some local beets in season.

Pam's Russian Borcht

INGREDIENTS:
Large bunch beets with greens, 6-8 medium-size beets
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped kale or cabbage
1.5 tsp. salt
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
3 tsp. sour salt, or to taste
8 bay leaves, or to taste
2 cups diced carrot
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups diced new potatoes
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

METHOD:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a soup pot, stirring in the onions. Cook onions until clear, but don't brown. Stir in salt, pepper, tomatoes, carrot and potatoes, along with 1/3 of the broth. Cook 15 - 20 minutes. Meanwhile grate the beets and chop the leaves and stems finely - add these to the soup, along with the remaining broth, beans, dill and sour salt. Simmer for 45 minutes and serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or natural yogurt.

Beet Leaf Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
36 large beet leaves, washed and trimmed
1 tsp. salt
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh dill, minced
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1/3 cup butter (approximate), divided use
1/2 cup 18% cream

Melt 3 Tbsp. of butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add in salt, rice and 2 cups of water - cook rice, covered for 40-45 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the onion in another 3Tbsp. of the butter. Stir softened onion into the cooked rice along with pepper and dill, to form the beet roll filling. Rice the leaves and cut off any tough ribs. Place leaves in a colander and blanche by pouring 1.5 litres of boiling water over them - leaves should be softened but not mushy. Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of filling on each leaf and roll tightly, pushing in each end with fingertips to seal. Butter a small baking dish with 2 tsp. of the butter. Place rolls with seam down in the casserole dish. Pour cream over all. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for 30 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Serve warm with or without sour cream or natural yogurt.

NOTE: if the leaves are too small or tattered, or if you are pressed for time, try making a lasagne-style casserole, beginning with a layer of the softened beet leaves and then a thin layer of filling; repeat. End with a leaf layer and pour cream over all. Bake for same amount of time.

Lead Belly Cupcakes :(

Sometimes more of something you love mutates into just TOO much! This was the case with the Paula Dean recipe for Arnold Palmer cupcakes. My baker's antennae were vibrating when I saw the amount of butter and sugar in both the cupcake batter and frosting, but I love Paula Dean and thought - "What the heck do I know?" Well I guess tastes are as diverse as our individual personalities, and although the batter tasted great, the baked end-result was waaaay too heavy and too fatty for this Momma.

Elephants in Tutus!
I baked the cupcakes the evening before the birthday, and frosted them the next day, so maybe if we could have eaten them freshly cooled from the oven the result would have been more pleasing. The flavour of lemon and tea was lovely, but it was overpowered by the butter and bulky texture. The dry heft of these cupcakes reminded me (and not in a good way...) of some day-old Hovis bread I bought in my university days when I was trying to eat healthy on less than $40 a week! How could something infused with so much fat be dry?

Canadian Content?
I am wondering if some of the challenge was in my technique (whipped all by hand, not with electric mixer), and also with our local ingredients. I know my Uncle Chuck in Florida has purchased flour and butter when he is in Canada -- he loves to cook and swears that the butter and flour in the Southern USA are different (???).Different variety of wheat? What are the cows eating? Anyway - no disrespect to the fabulous Paula, but I am wiping this lil' ole recipe right offa my memory banks! Thankfully I have another birthday coming later this month and can redeem myself :)

Going a bit bananas???

Yes, it's another birthday... and another, and -- yes, another...
Today is my oldest daughter's birthday - 21 candles; so hard to believe because I can remember her playing with my toes while I made her supper (age one). She is an amazing artist and is in her third year of university (Fine Arts -- no surprise there!)... We went out to this great retro steak house tonight and now she is at the bar with her Dad (they share the same birthday!) having a birthday cocktail. My younger daughter is tending bar tonight!

Bananas...
Good thing we have these celebrations to ease our way through the winter blahs! I am definitely NOT a winter person lol :) I do love to look at the hoar frost and pristine white landscapes from inside my warm car or warm office etc. Also is nice to get home, put on my tank top and shorts and bake something comforting. here is my recipe for Banana Bread -- simple and so good; this is especially delicious right outta the oven with some dairy butter mmmm.... hope you will bake some and enjoy it this weekend xo.

Pam's Banana Bread

4 medium-size mashed ripe bananas
1 cup granulated white sugar (or 1/2 cup Splenda plus 1/2 cup honey)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter or canola oil
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-3/4 cups sifted flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix sugar, eggs and mashed bananas. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, salt, butter (or oil) and walnuts. Combine flour with soda and baking powder, stirring into wet mixture just to combine. Grease Pyrex loaf pan with softened butter and fold in batter.

Bake for 1 hour, testing at 50 minutes for doneness. If loaf is still moist in the middle at one hour, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 5-7 minutes at the reduced temperature. Remove loaf from oven and invert on wire rack to cool, removing from the loaf pan (loaf will pop right out easily).

Enjoy!