My recipe for stuffed beets. The long cooked beet's natural sweetness is enhanced with Silan (date) sauce. This makes for a delicious appetizer.
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized beets
- Stuffing:
2½ cups fine bulgur wheat
1 cup dried cranberries
1 packet chestnuts, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
- Silan Sauce
1½ cups silan (date syrup, available in Middle Eastern/kosher markets on online)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
- Garnishing and decorating
Yogurt
Olive oil, for drizzling
Sprouts or microgreens, to garnish
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the beets in a baking pan and roast for 1 to 2 hours (depending on the size of the beets). Check with a fork for tenderness. When tender, remove from the oven and cool. Peel the beets and scoop out the insides with a spoon, to make them hollow. (To avoid waste, set aside the beet centers and use them in a salad. You can dress the chopped beets with 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 crushed garlic clove and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.)
Soak the bulgur in warm water for half an hour, drain and then rinse thoroughly until the water that runs through the grains remains clear. In a large bowl, mix the bulgur, cranberries and chopped chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the beets with the bulgur mixture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a deep, ovenproof casserole, combine silan, water, turmeric, salt and pepper. Place the filled beets in the dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, pouring sauce with a spoon over the beets every 10 minutes, so that they don't become too dry.
To serve, pour a little yogurt into a serving bowl, place the roasted stuffed beets on top and decorate with sprouts or microgreens.