Cooking beet roots and greens

[inventolux]

Take a baby beet, cast a mold of it, fill the mold with beet ice cream and serve a beet of ice cream.

[chefseanbrock]

juice and reduce....then you can add butter, or olive oil, or creme anglaise, or cream, or red wine vinegar.....goes great with scallops

[rancho_gordo]

Has anyone mentioned the classic Mexican salad with cooked beets, orange slices and jicama (cubed)? Toss with vinegarette and maybe some peanuts and cilantro. It can also be a "muy bonita" composed salad, the slices of things looking like a flower.

Personally I love them roasted with just balsamic- no salt or oil and I'm a fat and salt piggie!

Eat lots of beets along with asparagus for a fun science experiment. Ain't nature grand??!!??!

[jsolomon]

I wrote a column about how to treat a beet. Includes roasting directions.

I would add one thing to Mamsters suggestion. Slice them thinly and place some crumbled bleu cheese on top and some walnut pieces.

Heavenly

[tanabutler]

Last night, I roasted the baby (embryo) beets I got at the farmer's market. I halved them, then wrapped in foil with a couple tablespoons of water, then baked until tender. The juice and water combined, of course, and I used that in a reduction with red ruby grapefruit juice (fresh), a splash of white wine, some McEvoy EVOO, and some very thick, aged balsamic vinegar. It was so amazingly good. I served that with a steelhead trout filet and the beet greens, all of which was drizzled with the beet/grapefruit reduction, and then topped with flecks of goat cheese.

It was. FANTASTIC.

[Anna N]

I have tried most of the suggestions in this thread but my unsophisticated taste buds say you can't beat roasted (or boiled) beets slathered in butter and heavily peppered. I still love these the most.

[Dignan]

Well, I sauted the my beettops in olive oil with plenty of garlic, and they were quite nice. I was really surprised at the taste, because I had assumed for whatever reason that they would be bitter. But they had a wonderfully clean flavor.

The roots I quartered and roasted in foil with garlic cloves and oil, as suggested by magnolia. They also were quite good, but with a much stronger and earthy flavor. Much better than I remeber from my previous experience with the canned versions.

I'm not sure I'm a total beet convert, but I'll definately try them again.

[Jean Brislance]

Roasted beets make an excellent risotto.

Greetings,

I am a little late to the party here, but beets are my favorite veggie, and I am always looking for new things to try with them. I generally like them simply roasted, but I enjoy pickled beets, and have even gone so far as to try making roasted beet and goat cheese ravioli.

I would love to know more about the roasted beet risotto. I guess I am curious at what point you add the beets to the risotto? Are they added towards the end after the rice is nearly al dente, or do you add them earlier?

Thanks very much,

Jean

[petite tête de chou]

A chilled beet soup with buttermilk or creme fraiche, citrus juice (blood orange seems appropriate), fresh dill/chives and perhaps cucumber might soften the roots distinctive earthiness. What a knock-out color!

[Squeat Mungry]

Roasted beets make an excellent risotto.

Greetings,

I am a little late to the party here, but beets are my favorite veggie, and I am always looking for new things to try with them. I generally like them simply roasted, but I enjoy pickled beets, and have even gone so far as to try making roasted beet and goat cheese ravioli.

I would love to know more about the roasted beet risotto. I guess I am curious at what point you add the beets to the risotto? Are they added towards the end after the rice is nearly al dente, or do you add them earlier?

Thanks very much,

Jean

Welcome to eGullet, Jean! This party never ends, so you're not late!

Those ravioli sound amazing. I'm going to have to try that.

I love beets as well, and I love risotto, so the combination seemed a natural to me. I usually just quarter the beets, toss them in olive oil and salt and roast them in a hot oven until they're tender. When they're cool enough to handle, I peel and dice them.

Then I just proceed with the risotto as usual: soften some onions and garlic in oil, add the rice and toast it, then add some wine (I usually use red wine with the beets, and a healthy dash of balsamic at the same time). This is the point where I add the beets: after the wine/balsamic has been absorbed, and before the first ladle of stock is added. Then just proceed normally with the stock additions and the stirring. As the risotto develops, it takes on the rich flavor and lovely color of the beets. Sometimes if I've sauteed the beet tops in olive oil and garlic, I'll stir that into the risotto at the end when I add the butter and cheese. I do hope you'll try this if you're a beet lover!

Cheers,

Squeat

Edited to add: Welcome also to petite tête de chou! I'm a big fan of chilled soups, and since we've been having some seriously hot weather here (for San Francisco, anyway) I think I'm going to have to try your idea very soon!

Edited April 27, 2004 by Squeat Mungry (log)

[Jean Brislance]

I love beets as well, and I love risotto, so the combination seemed a natural to me. I usually just quarter the beets, toss them in olive oil and salt and roast them in a hot oven until they're tender. When they're cool enough to handle, I peel and dice them.

Then I just proceed with the risotto as usual: soften some onions and garlic in oil, add the rice and toast it, then add some wine (I usually use red wine with the beets, and a healthy dash of balsamic at the same time). This is the point where I add the beets: after the wine/balsamic has been absorbed, and before the first ladle of stock is added. Then just proceed normally with the stock additions and the stirring. As the risotto develops, it takes on the rich flavor and lovely color of the beets. Sometimes if I've sauteed the beet tops in olive oil and garlic, I'll stir that into the risotto at the end when I add the butter and cheese. I do hope you'll try this if you're a beet lover!

Squeat, thank you very much for the kind welcome, and for the detailed explanation of the risotto. I appreciate you taking the time to explain further. It sounds wonderful, and I will absolutely give this a try.

As for the ravioli I made, you did something with your risotto recipe that I had wish I had done with the ravioli...that is adding balsamic vinegar. The ravioli were very pretty, but the richness and sweetness of the beet/goat cheese mixture needed a little acidity, I thought. I will do that next time, though.

Thanks again!

All the best,

Jean

[YKL]

bought some fresh beetroot for the first time ever at the weekend (I know ... what have I been doing with my culinary life !) - were being sold on a stall outside someone's house and were obviously only picked an hour or two beforehand ... and now wondering what to do with them.

I think the basic choices I have are slow roast or boiling ... and then some sort of salad ... or possibly borscht - although the latter sounds like a lot of effort when it's just me. Have had a quick look at the recipe gullet, but was wondering if there were more great recommendations out there?

I remember seeing various recipes for chocolate cake with beetroot in ... or is that a travesty of a great vegetable?

With hopeful thanks in anticipation

Yin

[GG Mora]

My recommendation would be to roast them and use them in a simple salad. Then if you have any left, you can get all jiggy with them.

Trim off the greens (you can cook and eat them if you like them; I don't) leaving an inch or so of stem, and trim off the root leaving half an inch or so. Wash off any dirt, wrap the beets in foil, and bake in a 350? oven until the beets are soft when pierced with a sharp knife – 45 minutes for very small beets and up to an hour and a half for very large ones. Let them cool in the foil until they're cool enough to handle, then cut off the remaining stems and root, and slip the outer layers of skin off with your fingers. Cube or cut the beets into wedges and toss in a bowl with balsamic vingar, oil (mild olive oil, or walnut oil if you can get it) and S&P to taste.

Mache (lamb's lettuce) is delicious with beets, but if you can't find it any beautiful young greens will do. Toss cleaned greens with the smallest amount of balsamic vingar and whatever oil you used on the beets and a little S&P. Mound the greens on a plate, arrange the beets on top and scatter with toasted walnuts and crumbled fresh goat's cheese (or blue cheese).

[Carolyn Tillie]

DON'T COOK THEM!

If they are indeed fresh, enjoy them raw -- grate or shred them and "pickle" them with your favorite, good quality red wine and/or balsamic vinegar. A simple toss with the vinegar and wait an hour or so.

You'll never want them cooked again (except in borscht, which I crave all winter long).

[jsolomon]

There are several versions of pickled beets which I highly recommend. Also, roasted beets go wonderfully with citrus dressings on salads.

Roasted, sliced, and served with walnut pieces and bleu cheese is really great, as well.

Congratulations on a good vegetable choice!

[daniellewiley]

My favorite preparation is grilling. We clean 'em, trim 'em, and wrap 'em in foil with olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum.

[chromedome]

Having read the threads cited above, I'm salivating and just about ready to head out to my garden for some beets or beet tops. I always sow mine thickly, because the seedlings (AKA $13/lb microgreens) are one of my favourite things, as are the mature tops. I harvest them like mesclun, a leaf here a leaf there, all summer long.

A combination of flavours which I did not see mentioned is beets with raspberries; two of the very best things about summer. Beets and raspberries make an unbelievable mousse; I plan to try sorbet and/or ice cream once I get the appropriate gear. Either shred the beets raw and cook them with the juiced raspberries, or puree cooked beets (roasted work especially well) and strain the juice into raspberry juice. I favour about a 2:1 ratio of beet to raspberry, but to each his own.

The earthy sweetness of the beets and the acidic tang of the raspberries are amazing together. Both of my kids, inveterate beet-haters, devoured the mousse in a heartbeat.

[chefdg]

We made a nice beet gazpacho at one restaurant I work in that was really good. Soak the beets in vinegar for a day and then steam, or boil them. Puree with garlic, tomato, more vinegar, water and milk, salt and pepper to taste. Something crispy fried is a great side.

[rickmartin]

Blanched beets, arugula, chevre, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, walnuts, and if you want the ultimate flavor combination, some pickled herring. I'm so hungry now.

RM

[Mottmott]

Blanched beets, arugula, chevre, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, walnuts, and if you want the ultimate flavor combination, some pickled herring.  I'm so hungry now.

RM

Sounds good. You could pair beets with fruit, bitter greens, nuts, shavings of cheese, a really good vinegar (I like sherry best) and oil.

I sometimes make a salad of beans, onion, a sliced hard cooked onion and whatever else around that looks good. But to be truthful, I mostly do it in the winter, not with prime summer beets.

[get in my belly]

roasted beets sliced layered with borsin cheese mesclin greens and toasted walnuts with wallnut oil with a minnionette and a little surgar sprinkled over the top ohhhhhhhh mama . :wub:sung....... i just posted to sayyyyyy i love youuuuuuuuuuu .beats raw yes please pickled yes please roasted yes please soup yes please ......beats ok im done now

[torakris]

I hate beets.

well, I thought I hated beets.

then this summer I had pickled beets at my aunt's house and they were wonderful.

Fresh beets are hard to come by in Japan, so in my quest to learn to love beets I have bought these water packed (pre-cooked) ones and tried them in soups, salds, etc and hated everything I made.

Yesterday I found some fresh beets at a really good price, I want to try roasting them but have never even touched fresh beets before.....

what do I do?

[Jason Perlow]

Take cleaned/washed beets, rub generously with olive oil, hit it with some salt, wrap in aluminum foil, cook it in the oven at 375-400 until you can fairly easily poke it with a fork, which is like 45 minutes to an hour, might take a little longer if they are particularly big beets.

Remove from foil, remove skin, slice up, serve with drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper. A nice mediterranean/Greek way to have it is with some feta cheese or perhaps Skorthalia dip (cold mashed potatoes with a LOT of garlic blended in, with olive oil) and pita bread.

[Gifted Gourmet]

This is what I do and it is originally from Alton Brown:

6 medium beets, cleaned with 1-inch stem remaining

2 large shallots, peeled

2 sprigs rosemary

2 teaspoons olive oil

a bit of salt and pepper

(or skip the rosemary and add some julienned citrus peel)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl toss all of the ingredients. Place into a foil pouch

and roast in the oven for 40-60 minutes. When done, skins should slip off easily. Slice, cube, whatever, and enjoy!

[Alex]

Roasting beets is the only way to go. Ms. Alex, a lifelong beet-hater, now loves them.

Wash & dry. Trim off all but ~2cm of the top. Rub with olive (or other) oil, enclose in a foil packet, and roast at ~180°C for ~1 hour (for 5cm-diameter beets -- increase the time for larger ones). Open packet, let cool, then rub off skin with paper towels.

There are all sorts of recipes at epicurious.com. I'll usually slice them into large julienne (I forget the exact term) after roasting. At the Heartland Gathering a couple of years ago, guajolote turned them into a salad with blue cheese and red onion. Alfred Portale does them up with feta, orange, and mint with a balsamic dressing. There's a Larousse recipe (Forestierre?) that combines them with bacon and sauteed mushrooms.

Edited March 28, 2005 by Alex (log)