The World That Was - Varro's Beet Stew

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was!

Today, I'll be taking a look at another one of Apicius' recipes - something recorded as BETACEOS WARRONIS or Varro's Beets - the name seems to be based on a contemporary Roman agricultural writer, Varro. This is a fairly simple recipe, that results in some succulent, tender chicken along with some very filling and herbal beets.

In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above!

Ingredients

500g chicken (the cut is up to you, I used boneless chicken breast here)

200g beets, peeled and chopped

150ml white wine

honey

olive oil

salt

pepper

cumin

Method

1 - Prepare the Chicken

To begin with, we need to cut and season our chicken. I'm using boneless chicken breasts here, because they were easy to come by, but really any cut of meat will work here. In any case, cut your meat into bite-sized pieces.

Next, season them generously with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and cumin. Although cumin was not explicitly included in the original recipe, it's not unlikely that it was used in the kitchens of Rome, as it was a staple in the cuisine of the Late Roman republic, and later, the Empire!

2 - Sear the Chicken

Now we need to quickly sear the chicken. Start by pouring some olive oil into a pot, and putting it onto a medium-high heat. When the oil's shimmering, place your chicken chunks into it. Turn the pieces around so the exterior is cooked on every side, and they no longer look pink. If you're not too confident with this, you can of course cook them all the way through - it's up to you!

When they've been sealed, take them out of the pot, and leave them on a plate. Leave the olive oil in the pot, and keep it warm but not hot!

3 - Prepare the Beets

Next, get a hold of your beets. I'm using young beets here, but larger, mature beets would work just as well. In any case, give them a quick haircut if they need it, peel them, and chop them. I'm cutting each beet in half, before slicing them thinly, just for aesthetic purposes. But of course, you could grate these, or chop them any way you want! Just make sure the pieces are all roughly the same size, so they cook at the same rate.

4 - Prepare the Stock

Now we need to make our stew stock. Do this by pouring your white wine into your pot with the oil, along with a squeeze of honey. The translation of the recipe calls for honey-wine. In antiquity, this could be literally honey with wine - which was frequently drunk - but could also refer to what we'd now call mead today (aka a wine made from honey). Either or works well here, so pick your liquid based on your tastes. Pour in 500ml of water on top of this. Bring this to a simmer, over a medium heat.

5 - Add the Beets and Chicken

When it's simmering, place your beets into the stock, and place the whole thing back onto a high heat. Bring this to a boil, and leave it to cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.

When your beets are boiling, place your chicken back into the pot, along with any juices left on the plate. This might seem unsanitary, but by leaving the pot at a boil for a few minutes, you'll be making it safe to eat!

Leave your pot uncovered, to let the liquid boil off for about 25-30 minutes.

When your liquid has reduced, take your beets and chicken out of the pot, and plate up! Garnish with a bit of parsely or cilantro, add a little of the broth, and dig in while it's warm!

The original recipe claims that the remaining sauce can be drunk, and is actually quite nice! Although a little bitter for my taste. This can also be served up as a soup, much like a borscht from central and Eastern European culinary traditions! The chicken is extremly tender, and practically melts in your mouth, and the beets have a deligtful bite to them. Thanks to the beet juice, the meat gets stained with a lovely bright pinkish-purplish colour. The whole thing can be served as a soup (or borscht) or like how I served it here - fancily piled up in a bowl. It's incredibly filling and herbal, thanks to the beets and cumin respectively.

I would highly recommend this if you'd like to make a simple dish with a fairly fancy outcome!