Georgian Beets in Cherry Sauce (Charkhalis Chogi)

Submitted by Susiecat too

"I love beets. I have found that very few share my passion for this wonderful root vegetable. Ah, well, I'll eat my beets alone, then. Here is a wonderful sweet/tart, fruity and yet savory way to prepare beets. Try to find *unsweetened* dried tart cherries -- if you use cherries that are not tart, the dish loses something, though it will still be very good. This recipe is by way of "Olive Trees and Honey," by Gil Marks."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 8 beets, stems trimmed to 1 inch (2 lbs. total without the greens)
• olive oil, for coating during roasting (or vegetable oil)
• 2⁄3 cup dried tart cherry
• 1 1⁄4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Coat the beets with the oil and place in a single layer in a baking pan. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly, then trim, peel, and thinly slice.
3. While the beets are roasting, combine the cherries and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until very tender, about 20 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor.
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Stir into the cherry puree. Add the cilantro, parsley and salt.
5. Pour the sauce over the beets. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Reviews

[Outta Here]

The beet aficionado in the house thought these tasted great, but as the cook, I am giving 4 stars because I had some trouble with the sauce. It was quite thick and I had to thin it. I think more water is needed during the cooking of the cherries. I used the beets and sauce on a bed of greens and served as a salad.

 

[Sydney Mike]

I used just 4 beets 'cause my other half isn't that fond of them but I did make the amount of sauce indicated, which was great over some chicken breasts AND brown rice! And, as it was, I ended up eating most of the beets, & that was just fine with me! This recipe makes for some GREAT TASTING BEETS, no doubt about it! Thanks for sharing the recipe! [Tagged, made & reviewed in Please Review My Recipe cooking game]