Winter on the Farm: Two Hearty Beet Recipes
Winter is not a quiet season in our kitchen. While the fields rest, our cold storage is full — beets, potatoes, onions, and garlic harvested from the community farm. The cellar holds jars of fermented summer goodness and preserved autumn flavours. And this year, with our new greenhouse, we can already start reaching toward spring. Here are two comforting, plant-based recipes to make the most of what this season still has to offer.
Recipe 1 — Beets with Leek and Triple Lentils
Ingredients:
4–5 beets — trim the ends, wrap in foil and roast in the oven for 30–40 minutes (depending on size). Peel and cut into cubes once done.
2–3 potatoes, cut into small cubes and pan-fried until golden
1 cup each of orange, green and black lentils, cooked according to package instructions
1 onion, finely chopped, 2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds, ground, ½ tsp thyme powder
A few tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
1 vegetable stock cube
A handful of leek, sliced (optional but recommended)
Good olive oil and black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Roast the beets, peel them once cool, and cut into cubes. Pan-fry the potatoes until golden. Cook the lentils and set everything aside.
Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and fry a little longer. Add the white balsamic and let it cook until mostly evaporated. Stir in the fennel and thyme — and the leek if you’re using it. Pour in a cup of vegetable stock, then fold in the beets, potatoes and lentils. Let everything warm through together, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with slices of toasted bread. Enjoy!
These beets and potatoes come straight from our cold storage — harvested last autumn and kept through winter. This is exactly the kind of dish our community farm exists to make possible: real local food, from real soil, in every season. And with our new greenhouse now up and running, we’ll soon be extending the season with fresh greens from early spring onwards.
Recipe 2 — Beet, Leek and Potato Mash from the Oven
Ingredients:
4–5 beets, roasted and cut into cubes (see recipe 1)
6–7 potatoes, boiled in vegetable stock for mashing
4 leeks, sliced into rings
1 onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, Fresh ginger to taste, finely chopped
Sambal to taste, for a little heat
1 pack of vegan minced meat (e.g. Beyond Meat)
Vegan butter — for the mash and the baking dish
Good olive oil and black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the vegan mince for a few minutes. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, sambal and leek and fry everything together until nicely golden and fragrant. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in vegetable stock. Once soft, drain and set the stock aside. Add vegan butter and mash until smooth — use a splash of the stock if the mash feels too thick. Fold in the onion, leek and mince mixture, then gently stir in the beet cubes.
Butter a deep oven dish and spoon in the mash. Dot the top with a little extra vegan butter for a golden crust and bake at around 200°C for 20–25 minutes until beautifully golden on top. Enjoy!
As always, whatever the season, there is something to cook from our community farm. Local food, pure nature — nourishing our community and looking after our planet, one hearty dish at a time.