I suppose I should write about beets since I posted about beet cake (still on my to make list).
Buying: the red varieties are the most common, but look out for golden beets and other varieties. look for beets that are unblemished with fresh looking greens. make sure that they are hard; if they are still hard and the leaves are a bit discolored, they should still be ok.
Storing: Beets can stay in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. Remove the leaves and place the beets in a plastic bag and the beets within a damp paper towel. Whole beets should not be frozen if they are more than 2 inches across. scrub, boil, skin, cool and then cut into desired slice and freeze in a labeled plastic bag or container for up to 6 months.
Medical: a glass of beet juice every day is good for controlling cancer. beets are great to relieve constipation which is why they are an excellent addition for a cleansing detox. the deep color comes from betacyanin which is not only rich in antioxidants but also calcium, iron, vitamin c and b. this deep color will most likely cause your urine/stools to change color, but this is a positive sign of a healthy digestive system. Beets are high in sugar, so avoid if you have diabetes.
Fact: beets grown near dill or fennel will attract predators to the plant. The leaves have 25% magnesium which is great for compost piles.
Descending from the same sea beet, there is also Mangelwurzel which is used for animal fodder and sugar beets are used to produce sugar.
Cooking: beets are edible both raw and cooked. raw, with all their nutrients still plentiful and un-lost, they are great as a crudite on a veg platter or shredded into a salad. I love the color that they add to dishes, whether it is a deep purpley red, yellow like Burpee's Golden, or orangey with pink woven rings like Chioggia. They can be boiled whole (don't top and tail until after it's cooked). Scrub clean and then boil in salted water for about 2 hours, depending on the size, until a knife smoothly cuts through - but don't test it too many times as the damage will cause bleeding. Beets can also be roasted in tin foil with olive oil for about an hour at 425F. After the beets have been cooked, cut the top and bottoms off and peel under running water. The leaves can be sauteed and cooked just like spinach or eaten raw after washing. beets can also be pickled!
Warning: beet juice stains!! wear cloves and an apron. cutting off the leaves will also cause bleeding sap.
Recipe:
Beet and Black Olive Salad
6 small beets of different varieties/colors
1 Treviso (red chicory)
1/2 small red onion, sliced
5 tbsp black olivles - the dry, wrinkly Greek kind
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
Place the beets in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender and a knife easily goes through - about 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and let the beets cool down. When cool, peel the beets, cut in half and then into wedges. Cut the Treviso into strips and add with the beets in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together. Season with salt and pepper. It's a little bitter and a little salty but playfully colorful with interesting textures.
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets, Crumbled Goat Cheese and Beet Greens.
1 bunch beets, scrubbed
Greens from the bunch of beets
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves sliced thinly
2 oz crumbled goat cheese
Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the beets, whole, greens removed, into a tin foil sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes for small beets or about an hour for larger beets. Allow to cool then cut off any remaining stems and peel away the skin.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and then add the garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add the beet greens and saute so that the greens are coated in the oil and absorbing the fragrant garlic. Add the quinoa and beets and season with salt and pepper. Stir so that the quinoa is warmed, covered in the purple beet juice and everything is evenly distributed. Sprinkle over the crumbled goat cheese (feta cheese would also be a good salty choice) and slightly toss so that it melts a bit. Transfer to a large bowl and serve warm or at room temp. I think i may have even added some fresh dill that I had when I made this.
another idea....beet pasta sauce
i had some roasted beets in the fridge with their beet greens but i didn't have any tomato sauce to have with some frozen ravioli in the freezer. so as the pasta boiled, i added some chopped up onion to heated olive oil, then added the cut up cubed beets until they were heated and added the beet greens until they wilted. it was a delicious pasta sauce topped with some crumbled goat cheese!
Buying: the red varieties are the most common, but look out for golden beets and other varieties. look for beets that are unblemished with fresh looking greens. make sure that they are hard; if they are still hard and the leaves are a bit discolored, they should still be ok.
Fact: beets grown near dill or fennel will attract predators to the plant. The leaves have 25% magnesium which is great for compost piles.
Descending from the same sea beet, there is also Mangelwurzel which is used for animal fodder and sugar beets are used to produce sugar.
Cooking: beets are edible both raw and cooked. raw, with all their nutrients still plentiful and un-lost, they are great as a crudite on a veg platter or shredded into a salad. I love the color that they add to dishes, whether it is a deep purpley red, yellow like Burpee's Golden, or orangey with pink woven rings like Chioggia. They can be boiled whole (don't top and tail until after it's cooked). Scrub clean and then boil in salted water for about 2 hours, depending on the size, until a knife smoothly cuts through - but don't test it too many times as the damage will cause bleeding. Beets can also be roasted in tin foil with olive oil for about an hour at 425F. After the beets have been cooked, cut the top and bottoms off and peel under running water. The leaves can be sauteed and cooked just like spinach or eaten raw after washing. beets can also be pickled!
Warning: beet juice stains!! wear cloves and an apron. cutting off the leaves will also cause bleeding sap.
Recipe:
Beet and Black Olive Salad
6 small beets of different varieties/colors
1 Treviso (red chicory)
1/2 small red onion, sliced
5 tbsp black olivles - the dry, wrinkly Greek kind
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
Place the beets in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender and a knife easily goes through - about 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and let the beets cool down. When cool, peel the beets, cut in half and then into wedges. Cut the Treviso into strips and add with the beets in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together. Season with salt and pepper. It's a little bitter and a little salty but playfully colorful with interesting textures.
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets, Crumbled Goat Cheese and Beet Greens.
1 bunch beets, scrubbed
Greens from the bunch of beets
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves sliced thinly
2 oz crumbled goat cheese
Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the beets, whole, greens removed, into a tin foil sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes for small beets or about an hour for larger beets. Allow to cool then cut off any remaining stems and peel away the skin.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and then add the garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add the beet greens and saute so that the greens are coated in the oil and absorbing the fragrant garlic. Add the quinoa and beets and season with salt and pepper. Stir so that the quinoa is warmed, covered in the purple beet juice and everything is evenly distributed. Sprinkle over the crumbled goat cheese (feta cheese would also be a good salty choice) and slightly toss so that it melts a bit. Transfer to a large bowl and serve warm or at room temp. I think i may have even added some fresh dill that I had when I made this.
another idea....beet pasta sauce
i had some roasted beets in the fridge with their beet greens but i didn't have any tomato sauce to have with some frozen ravioli in the freezer. so as the pasta boiled, i added some chopped up onion to heated olive oil, then added the cut up cubed beets until they were heated and added the beet greens until they wilted. it was a delicious pasta sauce topped with some crumbled goat cheese!
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