Easy Borscht

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for today's shopping tip:

When it comes to wine I'm very particular about what I buy.
There are two things I look for before making my selection.

First, the word "Wine" must appear somewhere on the label.
This is something I insist on.

Second, I look for a sign nearby that says "On Sale."

Follow these two rules and you won't go far wrong.

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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You can use an equivalent amount of fresh peeled beets (about
1 1/2 pounds) in this recipe if you prefer, in which case the time
required to prepare the dish will be increased slightly.

Easy Borscht

3 cups (750 ml) beef stock
2 cans (15 oz, 425 g each) diced beets with their liquid
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups (500 ml) shredded cabbage
1 Tbs (15 ml) sugar
1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon juice
Sour cream for garnish
Chopped fresh dill for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the sour cream and dill in a
slow cooker and cook covered on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on
high for 3 to 4 hours. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and
a sprinkling of chopped dill.
Serves 4 to 6.

A Word About Slow Cooking

First, the good news: you don't need a slow cooker, Crock-Pot*,
or other fancy gadget to slow cook. All of the recipes this week
are easily cooked on the stove-top or in a conventional oven.
Here's how:

Most slow cookers on the market have two settings: low and
high. The low setting cooks foods at approximately 200F (95C),
and this heat setting can be approximated in a conventional
oven or on a stove-top burner set on the lowest setting. Similarly,
the high setting (about 300F, 150C) can be reached on
conventional ovens and on stove-top burners set on very low.
All you need to cook any of these recipes is an oven (or stove-
top) and a casserole dish or oven-proof baking dish with a tightly
fitting lid.

When adapting slow cooker recipes for use with conventional
equipment, follow the directions in the recipe and set the
thermostat accordingly. Because slow cookers typically have
lids that fit very tightly and therefore retain much of the moisture
in the dish, you may need to monitor the dish during cooking
and add additional liquid if necessary. If you keep this in mind,
all of your slow cooker recipes will turn out great.

The benefits of using a slow cooker include reduced energy
consumption and ease of preparation (i.e. start it and forget it),
as well as its ability to produce exceptionally tender and
succulent dishes, especially when less expensive cuts of meat
are involved. These benefits (with the exception of reduced
energy consumption) extend to the home cook who uses
conventional equipment.

The bad news? There isn't any, so have fun.
Received on Mon Jan 24 08:56:45 2011