Russian Beet Caviar

A bright vegetarian dish with walnuts, dates and garlic

I went to Russia in 1988, back when it was called the Soviet Union. I toured with a string quartet and my best friend Bet. We performed in schools and theatres in several different cities as a part of the Sister Cities program and Perestroika. My mom went too! It was fall (September-October) so we ate a lot of apples and there were many dishes with beets. Beets were in soup, shredded with canned fish and potatoes, and prepared in all kinds of ways. There was not a lot of variety in our diet. There was a lot of vodka though. Fortunately, I love beets! To me they are one of the best root vegetables you can eat. But then, purple is my favorite color which is another plus for beets.

My next-door neighbor and I have been coming up with different ways to eat Beet Caviar. It’s good on bread or crackers. I like to add a slather of cream cheese on the cracker before I add the beets. My neighbor suggested small baked potatoes with crème fraiche and beet caviar on top. I think sweet potatoes with Beet Caviar would be good, and very pretty. I have even added it to a kale salad. It’s very pretty and very delicious. What more can you ask for? If you have discovered other ways to enjoy this tasty savory, let us know in the comments!

Russian Beet Caviar

A bright vegetarian dish with walnuts, dates and garlic

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

30 to 40 minutes to cook the beets 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Savory

Cuisine American, Russian

Servings 4 cups

Equipment

• 1 food processor
• 1 small pot to heat the brandy or use a microwave
• 1 medium bowl to mix everything together
• 1 garlic press
• 1 pot to cook the beets in or use canned beets!

Ingredients

  

• 1/3 cup brandy, heated
• 7 TBLS dates, finely diced (7 whole dates)
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 2 TBLS lemon juice
• 3 TBLS mayonnaise
• 1/4 teas. salt
• 1/2 teas. black pepper
• 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 4 cups beets, cooked (about 3 large beets)

Instructions

 

• Cut the beets in chunks and cook the beets until tender, cool slightly and peel.

  Chop the dates, Heat the brandy to boiling, pour over the chopped dates, and let them sit for 30 minutes.

  Toast the walnuts.
• Press or finely mince the garlic and put it in a bowl with the mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix.
• In the food processor: chop the walnuts till fine and add to the bowl.

  Chop the beets until fine, add to the bowl.

  Add the dates that have been soaking in brandy to the bowl.

  Mix everything together.

  Chill.

Notes

Serving suggestions:

Serve as a savory spread with crackers or bread.

Spread a layer of cream cheese on first.

Add to a salad, or a baked potato.

Keyword Beets, dates, vegetarian, walnuts