The Nutritional Value of Beets

Beets are related to spinach and chard; the leaves and ribs are all edible and good for you: from the New York Times article, “Dr. Bowden says, … they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.” Mostly we boil the beets, peel and cut them, then cover with a vinaigrette/brine seasoned with star anise and clove. They are great oven roasted as well: we parboil them briefly before peeling, seasoning and roasting. Occasionally we have golden beets which are a bit milder in flavor and appeal to those who are not crazy about beets. This week we are making borscht so stop in for a warming bowl of beet soup!

And just for fun, we thought we would share a wonderful excerpt from Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume:

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.

Slavic peoples get their physical characteristics from potatoes, their smoldering inquietude from radishes, their seriousness from beets.

The beet is the melancholy vegetable, the one most willing to suffer. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip…

The beet is the murderer returned to the scene of the crime. The beet is what happens when the cherry finishes with the carrot. The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fossilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.

The beet was Rasputin’s favorite vegetable. You could see it in his eyes.”

Beet recipes: Roasted Beets / Pickled Beets / Sugar Beets / Cooking Beets!!!

And here is our favorite recipe for Borscht! Another great thing you can do with beets!

3 lg. beets, peeled and shredded
3 lg. carrots, peeled and shredded
3 medium baking
potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lg. onion, sliced thin
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 qts. water or vegetable broth
1 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic
minced salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste sour cream, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill for garnish
horseradish also makes a nice garnish with a little kick

Sweat the vegetables in the oil, (beets, onion, garlic and carrots) until they release their juices. Then add  tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, salt, pepper, and diced tomato. Simmer for 1/2 hour and then add the cabbage and potato. Cook for another 20 minutes, then adjust seasoning. Garnish with the sour cream, dill and horseradish as an option. It can also be chilled and served cold.

Serves 6-8 as a first course or 4 as a meal!

Fabulous desserts are a hit all year round, especially here at Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go! We are so proud of our fabulous baker, Melinda Champagne for her heroic efforts in putting out desserts of the highest quality! Enjoy these images from the sweetest year on record! (and thanks to Roy Gumpel for the first two images).

“Feels good, tastes good and is good for you!”

Listen for yourself!

Today’s delivery included multicolored mini-eggplants and gorgeous okra.  There is definitely much more to do with okra than making gumbo, (which we love) so to highlight these fascinating vegetables I made an Indian inspired dish, called a “bhadji”, delicately seasoned with ginger, tamarind and chili for today’s plat du jour.

The fresh cranberry beans we cooked yesterday are another late summer treat, truly amazing!  I folded these into a clove, cardamon scented rice, sort of like an Indian version of the Cajan “dirty rice”.

To finish the dish we’ve paired  a nice cool cucumber yogurt raita, with cucumbers from Gill Farms, of course, and some fresh herbs from our garden out back. We’re loving the bounty of the harvest in August, come share it with us!

We make our own version of “Gardiniera” with the beautiful tri-color (purple, green, and white) cauliflower from Gills Farm. Cut the cauliflower into similar sized florets and blanch. Then lightly toss with red wine vinegar and cool. Insert this simple version of Gardiniera in the following recipe to create the topping you see for the trout.

Muffuletta Olive Salad
1 1/2 Cups Picholine Olives, Pitted
1/2 Cup Calamatta Olives (or Black) Pitted
1 Cup Gardiniera (Pickled Cauliflower, carrots, celery, Pepperoncini)
1 Tbsp. Capers
3 each Fresh Garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 Cup Celery, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh oregano (from our garden) or 2 tsp. dried
1/4 Cup Pimientos (Roasted red peppers)
1 Tbsp. Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 finely diced jalapeno pepper
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground pepper to taste
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 1 – 1 1/2 Cups
Finely mince first 11 ingredients and then combine with the red pepper flakes, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, let stand for one hour for flavors to marry.

This is a great condiment for grilled fish, steak, chicken or as in New Orleans – on a sandwich – Muffuletta or otherwise!

We’re having a CONTEST – and we would love YOU to ENTER!!!!

Many of our customers have told us that we are the ‘GO TO’ place for ‘TO GO’ food in the Kingston / Woodstock / Shandaken neck of the woods – and that brings us great joy!

We also found out that folks often take our take away far away – they sometimes end up enjoying our Moroccan Chicken Wrap on a Trans-Atlantic flight, our Antipasti Platter at The Bronx Zoo, and our Frittatas in the Holland Tunnel!

In the Historic Hudson Valley community, it is summertime – and that means picnic time! Our personally prepared picnic to go food is ready in a flash for you to put in the car and take to any Hudson Valley happening, event, activity and attraction. What is YOUR destination?

And then there are the ‘secret’ spots! The swimming hole nobody knows about, the hammock under the pine trees in your back yard, the grown over mountain trail long forgotten.

And sadly, there are the boring places our food travels to. The icky basement office in Kingston, the employee back room at the mall shoe store, and behind the Honda lawn mower you push on a hot August day when you’d rather be at the beach!

So pick up your ‘big old’ or ‘mini new’ camcorder, your Flip, your iPhone, or your waterproof Nikon, and take a fun video of – you, your friends, your family – that answers our question: Where Do YOU go with your Bistro-to-Go?

We want to know!! Your video will be judged on creativity (25%), originality (25%) and most interesting place (50%).  TECHNICAL QUALITY DOES NOT COUNT – so just do it!

Simple Instructions:

WHERE DO YOU GO WITH YOUR BISTRO-TO-GO?

1) Make your short video and save it on your computer

2) Go to our Facebook Contest Page:

http://on.fb.me/WhereDoYouGo

3) Click on the Enter Contest Button

4) Fill in the simple entry form

5) Upload the video

6) Fantasize about winning the Grand Prize!!!

THE GRAND PRIZE FOR OUR FAVORITE VIDEO IS A PICNIC-TO-GO THAT’S BIG ENOUGH FOR EIGHT HUNGRY FOLKS TO FEAST ON!!!!!

(If anything above seems too technical for you – just get your own (or a friend’s) kid to do it all for you in under 2 ½ minutes!!!)

We love all our customers – so we look forward to see where you eat our food!

It’s almost here! One of the Ulster County region’s most awaited summer event – the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice.

At Blue Mountain Bistro, if we have a day off, our favorite thing to do is to go to an outside event.  This summer is so full of concerts, festivals and theater – from Woodstock’s Bird-On A- Cliff Shakespeare outdoor productions, to the Belleayre Music Festival, to the second season of Phoenicia’s 4-day town wide International Festival of the Voice – and it is inspiring to be able to enjoy art and music in the Catskills.  All these events create delicious opportunities to bring along a gourmet al fresco picnic!

Since Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go is located on the way to the fun on Route 28 in Kingston, it’s easy to phone ahead and order a delicious entrée, drink and yummy dessert to take with you. The Bistro-to-Go is the Go-To place for take away!

For a relaxing time wherever your day takes you – Woodstock’s beautiful Comeau property or Opus 40, Phoenicia’s Parish Field or kid-time at the Empire Train Museum – we have created a variety of box lunches and dinners that will be freshly made and ready to eat under the twilight stars or sparkling sun.

Made Especially For the Phoenicia Voice Fest – Your ‘Opera Box’ Dinner To-Go

On August 4^th, Thursday evening, consider a concert by R & B and gospel artist Roz Morehead along with a picnic of steak kabobs, Israeli couscous salad roasted patty pan squash, a giant gourmet cupcake and refreshing drink.

Or on August 6^th, a night at the opera underneath the shooting stars of summer, listening to Mozart’s Don Giovanni or the voice of Lauren Flanigan echo off the encircling Catskill Mountains while dining on grilled salmon with summer salsa, bistro potato salad, green beans vinaigrette, delicious dessert and a beverage.

Kids have concerts to go to as well – Ralph and Ralph August 5^th & 6^th @11:30am & Uncle Rock August 6^th @4:00pm – and if you are in a rush to get there, you will want to order a few boxed lunches to bring before they get on the Esopus stream side train that follows the shows!

We have a breaded chicken cutlet (or grilled tofu), pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella and a huge cookie along with a bottled drink all ready for when hunger strikes!

Don’t forget the day concerts with the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Choir, Mid-eastern ‘oud master Simon Shaheen and concert pianist Justin Kolb!

For a hot day, we have created a cold plein air dish of cold sesame noodles, spicy Asian slaw, grilled tofu, choice of Melinda’s giant cupcake and bottled water, ice tea or lemonade.

How Do I Get My Food?

Your orders need to be placed early enough so we have time to prepare them just for you – It’s easy and convenient – pick out your delicious ‘Opera Box’ take away choices (below) and phone us at:

845-340-9800

Please order by 4:00 pm the DAY BEFORE the event you are picnicking at!

Put your portable gourmet dinner order in – then swing by on your way from the NYS Thruway to Phoenicia – and pick up.  It will be like having a personal restaurant cater your outdoor summer concert fun! (The folks sitting next to you will be really jealous!)

Here is a complete list of our offerings:

Box #1
Grilled salmon with summer salsa
Bistro potato salad
Green beans vinaigrette
Choice of Melinda’s giant cupcake
Bottled water, ice tea or lemonade
$18

Box #2
Steak kebobs
Israeli couscous salad
Roasted Gill Farms patty pan squash
Choice of Melinda’s giant cupcake
Bottled water, ice tea or lemonade
$18

Box #3 (Vegetarian)
Cold sesame noodles
Spicy Asian slaw
Grilled tofu
Choice of Melinda’s giant cupcake
Bottled water, ice tea or lemonade
$16

Box #4 (kids)
Breaded chicken cutlet (or grilled tofu)
Pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella
Cookie
Bottled water, ice tea or lemonade
$8.95

…and for tickets and concert schedule, please go to Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice

Phoenicia based children’s music artist, Robert Burke Warren, aka Uncle Rock, wrote a brilliant song for kids entitled, Shop at a Mom N’ Pop, which he performs  to help raise a young audience’s awareness of local Mom and Pop stores. He and his family lived in NYC and were weekend commuters to this area for many years, until the loss of their St. Mark’s Place apartment jump started them to relocate full-time to the Hudson Valley. Robert is passionate about supporting local businesses and has tried to pass that on to his many fans – so that they grow up appreciating the wonderful relationships that can flourish when you connect one to one with the proprietors of a neighborhood shop, restaurant or business.  In an age where mall stores hire employees with very little expertise in their specific departments, there is a new desire for shopping local, as well as the enjoyment of discovery when we find that new place-to-go.

The Kingston Daily Freeman Agrees

Our local newspaper recently gave some local love to us – and that is so much appreciated! Thank you, Daily Freeman for the recent wonderful article on our Blue Mountain Bistro. Front of house manager and co-owner Mary Anne Erickson is quoted as saying, “We are, in the best sense, a Mom and Pop operation, where people can pop in, any day or every day, and feel welcome.” It’s easy and convenient to pop into this Mom & Pop because it’s right on the way up the line from NYC. In your Woodstock travel, Phoenicia travel, Hudson Valley travel – you can discover your new favorite place-to-be. Just come on in and get your food!

I Don’t Want To Cook

Another musician associated with this area, Todd Rundgren, wrote a song called Bang The Drum All Day, and the chorus starts with the simple, pertinent phrase “I don’t want to work!”

Sometimes when you’re on the go, rushing home after a long day doing your thing, or anxious to get to your upstate weekend digs: cooking = work!!! Remember the old advertising phrase from the 60’s – “Don’t cook tonight – call Chicken Delight!” Well, decades have now passed, and though a ‘don’t cook’ premise is still appropriate, people are actively seeking HEALTHY food on the go. The mega-supermarts have their pre-packaged and deli selections – but that is not an alternative for delicious home cooked to go food. We derive great joy and satisfaction from knowing that many of you consider our kitchen an extension of your own – because we cook the way you cook – when you have all day, when you feel creative, when your cupboard and fridge are stocked with the freshest, best quality, and healthiest ingredients. So please check out this article on what we do. Our cherished regular customers will enjoy reading about their local home base for good food to go. For those who have never stopped in, please discover us. When you come to this beautiful area of the world, country living and small town life slow the pace down. Simplify your life today and let us do the cooking.

We thought you’d like to learn some of the secrets to our famous, ever popular Moroccan chicken salad. We do it as a wrap or put a big dollop of it on a salad, AND we also chop it finer and spoon it into phyllo cups for a tasty and satisfying party appetizer. Here are some of Richard’s thoughts:

As long as I’ve been a chef I’ve been a strong proponent of the Mediterranean style of eating: which includes lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lesser amounts of fish, meat and wine. When I was designing a luncheon menu for Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go in the weeks before we opened, I wanted to emphasize that by taking some classic deli favorites and giving them a Mediterranean twist.  The Moroccan chicken salad was quickly a big hit. Visually it is striking from the bright colors in our homemade spice blend, ie. turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger, nutmeg and more (called ‘ras al hanout’ in Morocco, literally translated as “top of the shop”).

For this easy chicken salad recipe, we start by roasting Murray’s free range chicken breasts rubbed with our spice blend (mentioned above), then mix the diced chicken with dried currants, red grapes, red onion, scallion, celery and cilantro. Finish the mix with mayonnaise (to taste), a splash of lemon juice and fresh ginger juice. Take this wonderful chicken salad to your next summer picnic or neighborhood BBQ and be prepared for many compliments.

Enjoy this slide show of how it all comes together.Click to view slideshow.