I make a really great Mexican or Southwest Style Marinade for chicken. I got the idea that I can infuse those flavors into beets to make them interesting. I didn’t know what my dish would turn into. I played around with my recipe a little for the beets. After I made them I found that the braising liquid was too delicious to toss so I called this dish soupy beets. This dish is very vegetable heavy and doesn’t end up with a lot of liquid as you can see in my pictures but it is FORKING AMAZING Delicious! It’s does come out with all kinds of flavors and also is a little spicy. It just dances with all kinds of flavors and textures. You can just make the beets or take it further and fry vegetables for it and make a few eight minute eggs. I happen to have some leftover lime pickled shallots so I added them too. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. This makes about 4 really large servings or 8 smaller servings. I make more fried vegetables than I needed so extras will go on sandwiches or salads. This recipe takes two or more days to prepare if you are pickling the egg. More than two days if you are adding lime pickled shallots because they take at least three days to pickle.

Ingredients for around 8 servings

2 pounds of beets peeled (bigger beets you might need to cut in half or quarter)

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

4 garlic cloves – ground to paste

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground anatto

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (they sell this at Sprouts…if you don’t have use a chipotle pepper- chopped – in adobo sauce and maybe a teaspoon of the sauce)

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

2-3 (or more if you want more) eggs (eggs go in gently boiling water for 8 minutes and go in ice bath. Peeled eggs sit over night in beet liquid. (I only used half egg on some servings and a quarter egg in most of my servings)

oil for frying – maybe two inches in your pot on medium heat. I used canola oil.

1 carrot – peeled sliced extra thin on mandolin

1 onion – peeled sliced extra thin on mandolin

4 radishes – sliced extra thin on mandolin

2 shallots – (If you are added Lime pickled shallots this needs to be done at least three days in advance) Sliced thin on mandolin.

1 Tablespoon sugar (for lime pickled shallots)

1 teaspoon salt (for lime pickled shallots)

1/2 cup lime juice (enough to cover shallots) (for lime pickled shallots)

1 cup small sweet tomatoes sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped or torn

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves – chopped or torn

1/4 cup fresh mint – chopped or torn

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

Directions

At least three days before you make this make the lime pickled shallots. Sliced shallots go in a ziplock sandwich bag. Add lime juice salt and sugar. This just sits in the refrigerator till you are ready for it.

Either earlier in the day or the day before get a sauce pot halfway filled with water. Get the pot on a gentle boil. Carefully place the eggs in and set your timer for 8 minutes. When they are done place in an ice-bath. Peel when cool and place in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and get a middle rack ready for the beets.

Your beets and seasonings go in a pan. (beets, salt, garlic, sugar, black pepper, oregano, cumin, anatto, coriander, chipotle powder, vinegars, water and bay leaves.)

You might need to mix up the water a little.

This gets covered and goes in the middle rack of a preheated 400 degree F oven till the beets are tender. Depending on size and freshness of beets this will take 60-90 minutes.

While the beets are cooking you can fried vegetables today or wait till tomorrow if you are pickling the eggs.

To fry vegetables add about 2 inches of oil that you start just a little over medium heat. You might need to turn it down slightly maybe half way though. The vegetables are done when they start to brown. This takes a LONG time. Carrots were faster than the radishes. Onions were the slowest to get crisp. I did one vegetable at a time. When done they go on either a cooling rack or a sheet tray that is covered in paper towels.(towels will need to be changed or vegetables will be sitting in wet oil)

Beets are done by now so take them out. (test and make sure that they are tender). Add peeled eggs so they can pickle (make sure that they are covered with beet juice) Leave this out on the counter till it gets to be room temperature. Refrigerate over night. The next day you need to cut up the beets in any shape you like. I made thin strips.

When you are ready assemble. This can be served either cold or warm.

Dish out the soup, add an egg or 1/2 an egg. Add fried vegetables, add some lime pickled shallots and add fresh herbs. Some people might want to add sour cream.

Enjoy! This is really FORKING AMAZING!

I came across chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for Brussels sprouts with burnt butter and black garlic. Wow what a genius combination of things that I never would have thought of. Bunt butter, caraway seeds and black garlic is quite a combination. I didn’t have brussel sprouts at home but I did have cabbage so I thought that I can make a similar dish with cabbage. My recipe isn’t exactly the same but offers similar flavors. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. I also used a small cabbage so a bigger cabbage might give even more servings and also might take a little longer to cook.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 cabbage – cored – quartered – each quarter gets cut in 3 or 4 smaller wedges (I used a smaller cabbage)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil – to be sprayed or brushed on cabbage (I used a spray bottle so I didn’t measure…I honestly don’t think that I used this much oil)

fresh crushed sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1.75 oz black garlic (maybe around 2 Tablespoons chopped)

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1 Tablespoon tahini

2 Tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Directions

Set oven to 500 degreed F.

Use a sheet pan (or two) and spray or wipe lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

You remove the core of the cabbage.

Then you quarter the cabbage.

Then each quarter gets sliced into 3 or 4 smaller wedges that go on your sheet pan. Then the slices get either sprayed or brushed with extra virgin olive oil and get seasoned with fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

This goes on preferably a middle rack in your ore-heated 500 degree oven for around 15 minutes. It’s not done yet. Flip the cabbage wedges over on other side so you can brown up the other side. Depending on size if will need 10 to maybe 15 minutes more.

While you are roasting the cabbage you should make the sauce.

In a small bowl add the caraway seeds, black garlic, thyme. Leave it on side.

In a small fry pan on high heat add the butter. It will turn brown quickly. Then take it off the heat. Now add the caraway seeds, black garlic, thyme, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Blend till smooth.

Pour over cabbage.

Add toasted pumpkin seeds.

Finish with a little tahini and pomegranate seeds.

Serve right away and enjoy!

A Special THANKS! to Yotam Ottolenghi for coming uo with his FABULOUS Brussels sprouts with burnt butter and black garlic recipe. Without it I never would have made cabbage in a similar way.