Beets with Garlic, Yogurt and Cheese Crust (Au Gratin) – A Guest Post!

Tags

au gratin, beet, beet greens, beetroot, cheese, egg, Greek yogurt, vegetables, vegetarian, yogurt

Well, it’s done. The new blog is up. The Foodie Corner is live! Would you like to take a look? Yes it will all be Greek to you, but I’d love to hear what you think of the site!
 
Now I said I would try my best to keep Spaghetti going, and I will. And a few weeks ago I had a brainwave. Why not ask my friend and fellow blogger Artemis from Wonderfoodland, to step in with a guest post? She is the first Greek food blogger I ever met in person, and we clicked right away. I love her blog (which by the way is bilingual); from the recipes that always have a bit of a twist to them and her writing that discreetly reflects her wicked sense of humour, all the way to her gorgeous photos (putting mine to shame right here…). She has really come up with the goods here. This recipe is feeling right at home on On Top Of Spaghetti. So, enjoy!

§§§

There is this thing.
When I’m invited to write a guest post by another food blogger, I’m a little bit anxious.
What will it be?
Will my recipe “fit” properly into another blog?
Will the fellow blogger like it?
Will her/his readers like it too?
What do I have to write?

In this case, I guess my recipe choice was easy: Eleni is a beet lover. I know that. I’ve seen that. I’ve tasted that. I could never forget her beet chocolate brownies at the Food Revolution Day picnic.

My writing thing was easy also: I was lucky to get to know Eleni before her food blog adventures. And I’m really glad to know that another one follows her daring heart and does what she loves; cooking, writing, shooting, styling, sharing, communicating -not only through web and not only with food bloggers- but with anyone out there who loves food. In any way.

And I was really excited to see her beautiful “newborn”, The Foodie Corner, coming to life at last!

So, here I am, writing about beets myself too, finding the chance to get experimental and cooking something else rather than boiling them one more time!

These beets are for you, my dear Eleni!

Beets with Garlic, Yoghurt and Cheese Crust (Au Gratin)

Adapted recipe by Aglaia Kremezi

Ingredients

1 kg beets (leaves and half of the roots. The rest of the boiled beetroots eat them with some nice balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
2 Tbs all purpose flour
3 Tbs of olive oil + extra for greasing the baking dish
1 ½ cup milk (any kind of milk you love)
1 cup yoghurt (any kind of yoghurt you love)
3 garlic cloves mashed
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ cup grated cheese (use any kind of cheese you love that melts. I used a mix of several leftovers -Greek gruyere, gouda and kasseri, a yellow melty cheese)
3 stale slices of bread processed into crumbs (or rusk crumbs which is what I used)
salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the beets: remove any not-so-good looking leaves, cut the roots from the leaves, cut the small “nose” of each beet on its other end and put them all into water baths to get washed very well -at least 3 water baths. Strain them and leave them aside.
2. Put a big pot full of water on to boil. When the water boils, put the beets in (leaves and roots). The leaves will boil quicker than roots, so in about 5 minutes check the leaves out. If they’re soft enough, take them out, but leave the roots in until they get soft too. Drain them, squeeze them (the leaves) with a fork to get most of their liquids out and set them aside.
3. Prepare the light béchamel: into a small pan, pour the 3 Tbs of olive oil on medium heat. Add the flour and start stirring quickly with a whisk until it gets slightly brown.
4. Add milk and keep stirring quickly on low heat. When it turns into a nice cream, remove it from heat and add garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well.
5. Add yoghurt, eggs and cheese too while still stirring well.
6. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Grease a baking dish that will fit the beets in a not very thin layer. I used several small baking dishes (one portion each).
7. Chop the beet leaves a little bit and the roots to very small cubes like dice. Mix half of the cream with the chopped beets (leaves and roots).
8. Spread breadcrumbs all over the dish, add the beets all over and cover with the other half of the cream.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes or until you get a golden crust. When baked, leave to rest for about 15-20′ before serving.

Beet Greens and Red Pepper Frittata – Brunch for December’s Breakfast Club

Tags

beet, beet greens, brunch, eggs, frittata, red pepper, The Breakfast Club

“Breakfast Club: because breakfast should be more interesting than tea & toast or coffee & cereal.”

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a while now, and the perfect opportunity just presented itself. The Breakfast Club is a bloggers’ challenge created by Fuss Free Flavours, and this month it’s being hosted by Bangers & Mash. The theme? Brunch. I love brunch. I would have brunch everyday if I didn’t have that annoying thing called an office to go to.

This eggy frittata is ideal for brunch or even a light lunch with salad. It takes a little longer to make than your usual frittata recipe, because you have to sauté the greens till they soften, but it’s a very easy dish to prepare and the result is tasty and healthy. It could still make a quick breakfast if you sauté the greens the night before and cook the frittata while you get ready for work, school etc. Don’t forget eggs are packed with protein so they’re great for providing sustenance and keeping you full for longer, without the crash that follows a carb-fuelled energy rush. I read recently that when you have eggs for breakfast (or brunch!) you tend to consume less calories during the rest of the day. Now that’s an incentive!

Another reason I love this recipe is that is uses up those lovely beet greens that many people throw away. What a waste! Here in Greece beet greens are usually boiled (to within an inch of their life) and served with vinegar and olive oil. This is the classic way to serve most greens, of which we have loads. There are hundreds of varieties, from those growing high up on mountains to those growing –as if by magic- out of rocks at the side of the sea. Many of these varieties are slightly bitter, so they are brought to a boil in lots of water, drained, and boiled again in fresh water until the stems are soft. All these greens are fantastically good for you, but I have a feeling they could be even more healthy without all that boiling. Sautéing seems a better way to preserve nutrients. Having said that I’m not sure all types are suitable, some might just be too bitter, but my experiment with the beet greens turned out great. I’ll be doing more experiments of this kind!

Recipe inspired by Kalyn’s Kitchen and her Swiss Chard and Mushroom Squares recipe.

Egg Frittata with Beet Greens and Red Pepper

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil (divided)
1 small onion, chopped
½ tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups (tightly packed) roughly chopped beet greens, stems removed (just the thicker stems that protrude from the leaves, no need to cut out the leaf “spines”)
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 ¼ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 cup cheddar, grated
7 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ tsp salt
4 grinds of pepper
½ tsp Italian herb mix

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease a ceramic pie dish.
2. Sautee onion with sugar in 1 tablespoon oil, over medium heat, till translucent. Add garlic and gently cook for a few minutes longer, till fragrant.
3. Add red pepper and cook for a few minutes till it starts to soften. Transfer onion and pepper mixture to a large bowl.
4. Wipe pan with kitchen paper, return to heat and add another 1 tablespoon of oil. Add beet greens and cook gently till stems start to soften, about 10 minutes. Pinch one of the thicker stems (or the bits left at the base of the leaves) to check for doneness (should “give” a bit between your fingers).
5. Add beet greens to the bowl with the pepper and onion. Mix in the breadcrumbs and cheese.
6. In a separate bowl lightly beat the eggs and add the herbs and seasoning. Add eggs to the greens mixture and stir well.
7. Transfer egg mixture to the greased pie dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Other Eggy Breakfasts (Frittatas, Casseroles or Bakes):
Recipe for Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole by Kalyn’s Kitchen
Bacon, Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole by The Kitchn
Mini Egg Frittatas with Broccoli, Cheddar Cheese & Chipotle Pepper by Cookin’ Canuck
Mini Greek Frittatas by Healthy Green Kitchen