Continuing (and concluding) with my theme vegetable, the beet root, I made a recipe suggested in my comments by Zakiah.  Kheema Shulgum, or Ground Meat and Beet Root, has definite Indian flavors, is really easy to make, and is healthy to boot.

I’m going to share the recipe here as I suspect that Zakiah wouldn’t have written it in the comments section if she wanted to keep it secret.  I cut back on the oil and butter as our lamb here has a pretty good fat content.

1 Tsp each oil and butter
1/2 cup sliced onions (I used a whole medium sized onion)
1 Tbsp paste of ginger and garlic
1 Lb ground beef or lamb (I used lamb)
1 Tsp chili powder
1 Tsp turmeric
3/4 Tsp salt
1 cup beet root, cut into matchstick-sized pieces (I added about 2 cups)
1 Tbsp shredded coconut
1 Tbsp sour cream 

Start by heating the oil and butter, sauteing the onion till golden brown.  Add the ginger/garlic paste and fry till fragrant.

Add the meat and brown well.  There will be some liquid from the meat, so try and dry that a little.  I unded up having to spoon out some of the liquid.

Add the chili powder, turmeric and the salt and continue to cook for about five minutes or until the spices’ aroma has blossomed.

Add the sliced beetroot pieces and cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid for five minutes, stirrring every so often.  I improvised and added three small roma tomatos, seeded and diced.

Cook until the beet root is fork-tender but not mushy, then add the coconut and the sour cream.  The sour cream I added was mixed with some shredded Granny Smith apple, left over from the borscht recipe.

Serve warm, garnished with mint and cilantro, neither of which I had handy. 

It turned out very nicely, a squeeze of lime substituted for the missing herbs.  I also added a sprinkle of some more coconut just for visual appeal.

To accompany this meal I baked pita bread, some of which actually puffed up this time.  Last time, you might recall, they turned out mighty flat.  Letting the dough rest for a few days definitely improved it.

Thanks again to Zakiah for that wonderful recipe.  Reading the entry, I realize it just has my improvisational marks all over it.  Can’t just follow the recipe the way it is written, can I? 

As for the beets, I think I’m ready to move on to another vegetable!