Herring salad with beetroot & potatoes

For ➋

200 g maatjes herring*

4 small or 2 large beetroots

500 g small potatoes

1 small red onion

1 tbs (grain) mustard

½ lemon, the juice

2 tbs olive oil + 1 extra dash

1 tbs wine vinegar**

1 bunch of dill

salt & black pepper from the mill

First roast the beetroot in the oven at 180 °C. Place the unpeeled beets on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil, 1 tbs wine vinegar**, a pinch of salt and pepper. Wrap the foil so that no moisture can leak out and roast 40 to 60 m in the oven. The beetroot is done when a potato knife slides through it easily.

Meanwhile, peel the red onion, cut into fine half rings and place in a small bowl. Mix in the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tbs mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside until use and stir whenever you remember. Boil the potatoes in water with a good pinch of salt (no need to peel).

Remove the beetroot from the oven. Let cool, peel and cut into wedges. Cut the drained potatoes in half. Cut the herring into pieces and finely chop the dill.

Mix 2 tbs olive oil under the marinated red onion. Place in a large bowl and mix in the beetroot, potatoes and most of the dill. Finish with the herring and the rest of the dill. Give everything a few extra turns of the pepper mill and a pinch of salt. 

Serve the salad preferably lukewarm.

* Or 200 g herring fillets in vinegar

**Or 1 tbs brine vinegar from the herring

Risotto with beetroot & blue cheese

For ➋
1 l beetroot juice (pressed or out of a bottle)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
200 g risotto rice
1 glass of vermouth or white wine
40 g butter + 1 extra cube
50 g of blue cheese, like Gorgonzola
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Warm the beet juice until just below boiling point.
Sauté the onion and garlic over a low heat in a knob of butter. After 5 m add the celery and cook all the vegetables until they are soft. Turn up the heat and add the rice. Stir well until the rice is translucent and deglaze with white wine or vermouth. Let all the moisture to evaporate.
Reduce heat to soften again and add a ladle beet juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir well until the rice has absorbed the beet juice. Add each time a ladle juice until the rice is soft.
If the rice is not yet soft when the beet juice runs out, work on with salted water.
Add the soft butter. Let the risotto rest for 2 m.
Serve. Finish with black pepper and crumbled blue cheese.

Read tip on cooking rissoto.

Guinea fowl salad

For➍
1 guinea fowl
1 focaccia
⅛ cauliflower
1 beetroot
1 jar green asparagus
150 g bacon
4 eggs
1 bunch watercress
1 scallion
3 tbs green peas
8 small potatoes
2 dl corn oil
2 egg yolks
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs mustard
sugar
olive oil

Cut the bacon into strips. Fry until crispy.
Cut fillets of the guinea fowl and cut it into strips, season with salt and pepper and fry until golden brown in olive oil.
Cut cubes from the focaccia, season with salt and pepper and fry in oil.
Peel and wash the beets, cut into cubes and cook until al dente.
Clean the cauliflower, pull them into florets and cook until al dente.
Poach the eggs in water with salt and vinegar.
Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel and halve them. Cut the vegetables finely and mix them with the potatoes.
Make a dressing with the corn oil, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, mustard and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the vegetable salad on a plate. Top with a poached egg and a few strips of guinea fowl. Finish with the focaccia cubes, the dressing and some chopped chives.

Kholodnik (Russian cold beetroot soup)

For ➍
220 g beetroots
200 g cucumbers
20 g spring onions
70 cl kefir
2 tbs parsley leaves
1 tbs fennel leaves
4 eggs
salt & ground black pepper

Bake beetroot in the oven on 180°C for about 1 h. Leave the skin on, it is done when the fork comes in easily.
Hard boil eggs. Finely chop spring onions, parsley and fennel. Peel the cucumber and cut it into tiny cubes. Peel beetroot and pure it in a blender with some kefir, add the rest of the kefir and ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve cold.

Fennel & beet salad

For ➍ 

6 medium-sized beets
2 fennel bulbs
1 large grapefruit
walnut oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper
100-120 log goat cheese
coriander or tarragon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Wash the beets and cut off the root. Place beets root-side-down in a glass baking dish filled with 2 cm water. Cover with foil and roast for 30-40 m or until the beets are tender. Remove beets from the oven and allow them to cool.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cut the fennel into thin strips and blanch for 2-3 m. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Once the beets have cooled, discard the skins and cut them into matchstick sized pieces.
Mix 1 part grapefruit juice with two parts walnut oil. Add lemon juice depending on the acidity of the grapefruit. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the beets and fennel together in a large bowl and drizzle with the grapefruit vinaigrette*. Serve on top of slices of goat cheese.

*If using dark-colored beets, slice them into rounds and serve them under a pile of the fennel and light-colored beets. If tossed together, the dark beets will color the whole salad an unappealing shade of pink.
**Eventually, add some coriander or tarragon.

Beets and goat cheese are natural allies.

Chilled soba noodles salad

For ➍
400 g cooked soba noodles
2 ts toasted sesame oil
100 g watercress
100 g red beet leaves or rocket lettuce
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 sheet nori (dried seaweed), finely shredded
20 cl dashi-shoyu*
2 ts wasabi paste

Rinse the noodles under cold water and sprinkle with sesame oil. Toss well and set aside to drain.

To make the dressing, mix together the soy dashi and the wasabi paste. Put the noodles and the salad leaves in a large mixing bowl and toss to mix. Divide the noodle salad among 4 plates. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, garnish with the chopped spring onions, sesame seeds and shredded nori.

Serve immediately.

*Dashi-shoyu is a soy sauce variance on dashi, the Japanese seaweed broth. Read a recipe or buy ready made.

Soba noodles, made of buckwheat, become very popular in Japan when the heat is high.
Most Japanese noodles, including soba, are rinsed rather vigorously in cold running water. This not only cools them down but gets rid of excess starch, which adversely affects the flavor of the noodles.
Try a similar salad idea with ramen noodles.

Apple, pear & beet salad

For ➍
1 large coeur de boeuf tomato, cubed
½ orange bell pepper, seeded & chopped
2 medium steamed beets, peeled & chopped
1 large sweet & crisp apple, chopped
2 small pears, chopped
10 cl champagne or white wine vinaigrette
3 handfuls baby spinach
100 g crumbled blue cheese

Toss together the prepared tomatoes, bell pepper, beets, apple, pears and champagne vinaigrette in a large bowl.

Divide the baby spinach and seasoned fruit and vegetables between 4 plates.

Sprinkle each salad with crumbled blue cheese and serve.

Sweet pork & beets

For ➍
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs minced fresh ginger root
400 g pork tenderloin, cut into thin 4 cm strips
1 ts oyster sauce
1 ts salt
500 g sliced canned beets, 20 cl juice reserved
100 g sugar*

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook about 1 me. Mix in the pork, oyster sauce, and salt. Cook 10 m, stirring continuously, until pork is evenly browned.

Stir the beets, about 20 cl reserved beet juice, and sugar into the pork mixture. Continue cooking 10 to 15 m, until beets are tender. Serve over cooked long-grain rice**.

*Use more for a sweeter taste.
* *125 g for 4.

In Roman times, beetroot juice was considered an aphrodisiac. From the Middle Ages on, beetroot was used as a treatment for illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. It still is considered beneficent for cardiovascular health and liver problems.

tip: cooking red beets

Cook beetroots with the skin on to preserve colour and nutrition value. Place them in a large pot then cover with cold water. Add 1 ts sugar + 1 ts salt, then cover. Turn heat on high until water begins to boil then reduce heat to medium to keep water at a simmer. Cook 45 m to 1h or until done (for large, fresh ones) or up to 4 h (for large, older ones from storage).
When they’re done, remove from heat, drain water and then plunge them quickly into cold water. Remove from cold water, cut off root tips & stems and you should be able to rub the skins off easily with a damp towel or paper towel.
When baking/roasting the beets, do not wash or peel. Put in aluminium foil, with a little bit of water. Set the oven to 180°C, and cook for at least 1 h.
Smaller, younger beets do not have to be peeled.
Add some sliced apple to raw red beet, or put apple juice in the vinaigrette.
Red beets go well with fat fish like mackerel, sardines or herring.

tip: steaming vegetables

approximate steaming times

• Artichokes Steam whole artichokes 25-40 m Season with extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest
• Asparagus Whole spears, thick spears peeled lightly 7-13 m Serve with quince jam, cranberry jam, olive oil combined with lemon zest, or olive oil combined with sesame seeds
• Asparagus Cut into 2-inch pieces 4-7 m Season with olive oil combined with lemon zest or sesame seeds
• Green beans, Whole beans 6-10 m Season with garlic
• Wax beans, wax Whole beans 6-10 m Season with garlic
• Beetroot, small or medium-sized Whole, unpeeled beets scrubbed clean; peel off the skins after steaming 35-50 m Season with fresh thyme
• Beet greens Cleaned and coarsely chopped 7-9 m Drizzle with olive oil
• Broccoli Trimmed stalks 8-12 m Season with olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, lime juice, or balsamic vinegar
• Broccoli Trimmed stalks split in half or florets 5-7 m Extra-virgin olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, lime juice, or balsamic vinegar
• Brussels sprouts Whole, trimmed 8-15 m Season with fresh thyme
• Brussels sprouts Trimmed and halved 6-8 m Season with fresh thyme
• Cabbage Cut in wedges 6-10 m Lemon or lime juice
• Carrots Cut into 0.5 cm thick slices 7-10 m Season with honey combined with cinnamon or ginger
• Carrots, baby Whole baby carrots 10-12 m Season with honey combined with cinnamon or ginger
• Cauliflower Florets 5-10 m Lemon or lime juice
• Celeriac Cut into 0.5 cm thick matchsticks 5-7 m
• Celery stalks Cut into 1,2 cm thick slices 4-9 m Season with seeds
• Corn on the cob Whole, husks removed 7-10 m Homemade chicken or vegetable stock
• Daikon radishes Peeled and cut into chunks 8-12 m Season with fresh herbs
• Endives Cut in half lengthwise 5-10 m Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice
• Fennel bulbs Cut crosswise into 1,2 cm slices 8-10 m Season with olive oil and basil (or lemon)
• Jerusalem artichokes Peeled or scrubbed; sliced 5-8 m Serve with arugula or fresh herbs such as chives or parsley
• Jerusalem artichokes Whole tubers, peeled or scrubbed 20-25 m Serve with arugula or fresh herbs such as chives or parsley
• Kale Trimmed 4-7 m Drizzle with olive oil and crushed garlic
• Kohlrabi Peeled and cut into 1,2 cm cubes 5-8 m Toss with parsley and olive oil
• Leeks Trimmed, cut in half 5-8 m Season with your favorite vinaigrette
• Okra Fresh whole okra, trimmed 6-8 m Season with lemon/lime juice and parsley, or with sauteed scallions
• Onions, pearl Whole onions, peeled 8-12 m
• Parsnips Peeled and cut into 1,2 cm slices 7-10 m Season with fresh herbs such as oregano or parsley
• Peas, green Fresh, shelled peas 2-4 m Season with fresh herbs (such as mt) or lemon juice
• Peas, sugar snap Whole pea pods, trimmed 5-6 m Season with fresh herbs (such as mt) or lemon juice
• Potatoes, all Peeled or scrubbed clean, cut into 1,2 cm slices 8-12 m Toss with fresh parsley, rosemary or dill
• Potatoes, new Whole, scrubbed clean 15-20 m Toss with fresh parsley, rosemary or dill, or with chopped red onions
• Radishes Whole radishes, trimmed 7-14 m Season with chopped scallions or chives
• Scallions Cut into ½-inch slices 3-5 m
• Spinach Cleaned, whole leaves 3-5 m Season with olive oil and garlic, or sesame seeds
• Squash, butternut Peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 7-10 m Season with honey, lemon juice, and rosemary
• Turnips Cut into 1/2-inch cubes 8-12 m Season with olive oil and fresh herbs
• Turnip greens Cleaned and coarsely chopped 4-6 m Season with olive oil and garlic
• Sweet potatoes Cut into large chunks 8-12 m Season with honey and lemon juice
• Swiss chard Coarsely chopped leaves 3-5 m Serve with chopped fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, olive oil and pepper
• Zucchini Cut into 2.5 cm slices 5-8 m Season with olive oil, lemon/lime juice, and fresh herbs (such as thyme or rosemary)

It is also possible to steam bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomatillos, and garlic; however, other cooking methods, such as roasting, may be better suited to retain their texture and/or bring out their flavor.