Yesterday showed part one of this exercise – A lot of people asked us what we were going to do with them.
Let`s begin at the end. Our 5 pounds of beets now look like this:
we ate some yesterday with out turnip soup and they looked like this in my bowl:
And they looked like this in Dana`s:
Of course our celery isn`t the salt of the earth but perhaps it can find a friend:
By now I am assuming you have uncoded the nefarious plans. Both of our dehydrated heroes met a bitter demise (and rebirth) as they were crushed by the spinning blades of the evil Doctor flavor Maker, erm, coffee grinder.
I am a little giddy with the results.
Dehydrated beet powder is concentrated beet flavor. It can be used to dye food but also as an accent color. Here`s a few ideas:
- Added to highlight an earthy soup like our rutabaga one above. You could definitely taste the flavor.
- I grew up eating pickled herring. Adding a bit of this to the fish and vinegar combo would create a micro instant pickle
- My Grandfather used to soak onions for a short time in vinegar (often while he cooked) to eat with dinner. A little of this on top would bring a further earthy flavor to things.
- On top of sandwiches, like pulled pork.
- In the place of time in any recipe that you don`t mind the color changing
- Rolled in a pork tenderloin
- Our friend Kerry suggested marinating or scattering this on Feta for a feta and beet salad.
- Kerry also suggested to play whimsically with other dishes and alter their color dramatically. The vibrant colors of Indian Cuisine could be inverted for fun to see what would happen.
- A small amount wrapped on chevre
- Used to change the color of a soup or broth
- Added to a salad dressing
That small jar (about a half cup) will last a long, long, time. The flavor is intense. The next time you eat beets think about how much water you are consuming compared to `beet essence!`
The celery root has some similar uses from above as well as others:
- Added to a dry rub for bbq
- Add to a stock (almost like our own veggie bouillon cubes)
- Mixed with salt to rim a caesar or bloody mary glass. Unsalted powder could be added to the drink
- Added on top of dinner at the last-minute to bring the taste of celery in
- I also have dehydrated carrot and onion. Thinking of making some powder of each to make a concentrated mirepoix (French combination or `Holy Trinity`). This could be applied as a last-minute accent to any dish that started with the 3.
This is an amazingly wholesome feeling kind of preserving to me. We`re not adding sweeteners or sours and the final ingredient, in some ways, is an elevated version of the original – yet it contains nothing but the original.
What esle would you use these for or what else would you turn to powder?