Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Penne With Beetroot Cream And Toasted Poppy Seeds

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Look at this beautiful red colour! We should be grateful to Mother Nature for giving us beetroot that has an amazing colour like this!

My body has a lack of iron (just a little bit) these days so I try to eat as many meals as I can that are rich in iron. Iron rich foods can fortify your blood, in a properly balanced diet. Iron, the metal, is an element that is also a nutrient mineral that humans need to consume as a part of our everyday diet. Iron, in some form, is essential for good health. It is also important to eat foods rich in vitamin C because this vitamin enhances the absorption of iron into our body. If we are not getting enough iron, the best way to increase our iron intake is by effecting a slight change in our eating habits.

If you are a vegetarian like me it’s good to know that foods such as beans, whole grains, spinach and dried fruits have a significant amount of iron.

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Penne With Beetroot Cream and Toasted Poppy Seeds
(Recipe inspiration: Bev Cooks)

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 200 g penne pasta
– 3 medium beetroot, peeled and diced
– 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
– 2 sprigs thyme
– 4 tabelspoons olive oil
– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
– 1/2 cup vegetable stock
– 1/4 cup cream or oat cream
– 1/2 cup grated parmesan
– 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
– salt, pepper

Method

In a bowl mix together the diced beetroot with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Place it on a baking sheet and roast at 180C (356F) until tender (about 30-40 minutes). In the last 10 minutes baking, sprinkle the beets with the garlic and bake them together.

Transfer garlicy beets to a food processor and add balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup grated parmesan and pulse until it gets smooth. Transfer the mixture to a pan and add vegetable stock, cream and the leftover parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and simmer on low temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a medium sized pan bring water to a boil. Add salt into the boiling water and cook the penne al dente. Drain and set aside. In a dry non-stick pan toast the poppy seeds in 2-3 minutes.

Pour the beetroot sauce over the penne and serve immediately. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, the toasted poppy seed and some parmesan.

Enjoy!

Winter Vitamin Intake With Freshly Pressed Juices

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Although we have the opportunity to eat raw, fresh vegetables and fruits during winter time, the range is substantially less than at spring and summer time. What do we like eating that is raw? In Hungary the most popular winter fruits are apple, pear and the citruses (orange, grapefruit, mandarin, lemon) + banana from abroad. As a matter of fact, there are not too many seasonal vegetables that are eaten raw. I like carrot, beetroot, kohlrabi, red onion and garlic – these are the most common I eat raw.

I think beetroot has the most beautiful ruby red colour of all vegetables. Beetroot is a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, vitamin A, B1, B2 and C, and betaine, which is important for cardiovascular health and it is a good source of antioxidants. Beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure, it has been linked with better stamina and improved blood flood.


Beetroot has a rich, earthy flavour (either you love it or hate it) with a mild, bitter edge. Mixing beet with other vegetables or fruits cut through the earthy taste and enhances the sweet taste of this red miracle.

Be a friend of the beetroot, it loves you more than you think. Its beautiful red and pinkish colour is very relaxing. I know, I tested it!

Red daemon juice

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 3 small beetroot, peeled
– 2 apple, deseeded
– 1 orange, peeled
– small piece of ginger, peeled
– juice of 1/2 lemon

Method

Press everything (except lemon juice) through the juicer. Mix in the lemon juice and serve immediately. If you don’t like the earthy flavor of the beet, dilute the juice with 1/4 cup water.

Beetroot Tart Tatin With Parsley Vinaigrette

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Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart in which the fruit (usually apples) are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. Did you know that first it was created by an accident? The Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin. Stéphanie did most of the cooking. One day she started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven. After turning out the upside down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert. This is how the classic tart tatin was born.

Of course you can make tart tatin from other fruits and vegetables too. Beetroot is a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium and vitamin C. It has an earthy flavor that goes well with the tangy parsley vinaigrette.

Recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Veg Every Day.

Beetroot Tart Tatin With Parsley Vinaigrette

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the tart tatin
– 250 g rough puff pastry
– 350 g beetroot, cut into 1 cm thick slices
– 20-30 g butter (vegans should use olive oil)
– 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
– 2 teaspoons apple vinegar
– 2 teaspoons cane sugar
– salt, black pepper

For the parsley vinaigrette
– 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
– 1 tablespoon apple vinegar
– 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– pinch of cane sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface (5 mm thick). Take and ovenproof frying pan (or tarte tatin dish) about 20-24 cm in diameter, place it upside dow on the pastry and cut around it. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the vinaigrette’s ingredients and stir to combine.

Melt the butter with the sunflower oil in the frying pan, add apple vinegar, cane sugar, salt and pepper. Add the sliced beetroot and toss i the juices. Cover the pan with foil, transfer to the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 170-180C (338-356F) until the beetroot are tender.

Take the pan out from the oven and lay the cut pastry over the beetroot, patting it down and tucking in the edges down the side of the pan. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until the pastry top is golden brown and puffed up. Leave it to cool, then turn it out by putting the plate over the top and inverting it. Trickle the vinaigrette over the tarte tatin and serve.