Beet Leaf Holubtsi......

The smell of baking bread is so comforting, like a warm hug from Mom. I love to bake the bread my Mother and Grandmother always baked. Today I am using some of the dough to make something called 'Beet Leaf Holubtsi' that my friend Wendy shared with me or as my friends Beth and Lindsay called them ' Beetniks'. I love when friends and family share their memories and their recipes with me as it takes me to another place, another country and my family and friends get to enjoy something new. So thank you to all my family and friends for sharing their memories with me.
I received some beautiful organic beets in my weekly box of organic vegetable delivery and the beets came with beautiful beet tops, perfect for trying out this new recipe. The recipe below is posted as sent to me by my friend Wendy with a few adaptations on my part.

Beet Leaf Holubtsi or Beetniks

Bread dough

Blanched beet leaf topped with a small roll of bread dough ready to be rolled up.

 The dough is wrapped inside the beet leaves

Wrapped and ready for the onion and cream sauce.

 

Ingredients for the sauce.

Sauteing the onions in a bit of butter, the cream will be added to this in a few minutes.

 Beet Leaf Holubtsi, wrapped, drizzled with butter, covered in a cream and onion sauce and sprinkled with fresh dill. They are ready for the oven.

 Beet Leaf Holubtsi baked and ready for sampling.

Mmmmmm.....smells amazing....great as a snack, an appetizer or just eaten with a bowl of soup or borscht.

BEET LEAF HOLUBTSI RECIPE

Bread dough for one small loaf of bread

6-10 beet leaves, blanched and dried

1 small onion, diced fine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/8 - 1/4 cup butter melted

*See note below if storing in the freezer

Let bread dough rise to double in bulk. 
Put a bit in a wilted beet leaf. Roll as for cabbage rolls.
Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with melted butter.

Making sure the tops of the beets are brushed well with the butter.

Sprinkle with fresh dill (optional)
Let Rise - the dough will stick out of each end of roll.
Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 5 min. Then turn oven down to 375 degrees for about 15 or 20 min. Watch closely so they don’t burn.

*At this point you can cool and put in bags in freezer if you want.
When ready to use, melt butter in a frying pan (electric frying pan with lid works well) put beet top rolls in pan. Turn to high for just a minute, then turn over and turn the heat off - put lid on pan tightly so that they stay nice and soft... otherwise they will burn. You have to watch them closely, at first.

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'Keep what is worth keeping and with the breath of Kindness, blow the rest away.'

Dinah M. Craik