Cooking beet roots and greens

[jschyun]

I've had beet salad more times than I can count, and i have to say, the better ones have had baby beets roasted then cut up and put together with the other ingredients. That said, I'm not a big fan of beet salad in general.

I am thinking of trying Carolyn Tillie's grated beet recipe, as I am sick of roasted/sauteed/buttered baby beets.

[slbunge]

I eat them as a side all the time. You won't find them as starchy and filling as a potato so think of them along the line of a side of, say, green beans.

Upon consideration from what I said above, I usually steam my beets in the oven. I put pierce unpeeled beets with a fork several times each and then put them in a baking dish with a small amount of water and then cover tightly with aluminum foil. Pop that in a ~350 degF oven for about 30 minutes (depends on the size of the beet) and test for doneness with a fork.

If you want to dry roast them, a hotter oven with peeled and sliced or chunked beets would be the ticket. Toss with olive oil or spray the pan before roasting.

[reesek]

i am a recent convert to beets - in the last year i've really grown to love them.

beet salads are wonderful and i've made the sara moulton recipe mentioned above (or something very similar) as well. thyme, butter and sweet balsamic vinegar are wonderful with warm beets - and i agree that goat cheese balances well.

my favorite preparation is roasted with the skin on - it does (kind of) slip off after they're tender. i like to marinate the still warm beets in whatever my vinagrette is - usually tarragon vinagrette - if i'm not using a sweet vinegar like balsamic, i might add a touch of sugar. i'll let them cool to room temp and serve a composed plate of marinated beets (love the yellow/red striated variety) with dollops of goat cheese and more fresh tarragon.

dignan - the flavor (and color) of beets is quite strong - i think adding beets to a stew would result in a muddy colored and flavored end product.

i like to cook the greens (on another occasion) the way i do kale or curly endive - sauteed in a scorching pan with olive oil, garlic, kalamata olives, golden raisins, chili flakes and anchovies.

[bloviatrix]

Borscht has already been suggested, but I'm going to mention it again. I started making it last spring and it's really good.

Another thought is to double roast them. This means go through the normal roasting and slip off the skins. Then dice them up and put them back in the oven. You can even throw some balsamic vinegar on the them after about 10 minutes, and roast some more.

[Brad Ballinger]

Like several responders, I roast or grill them. Regarding the tops, they can be very, very bitter, so they usually need something to counter that -- balsamic, lots of butter, fruit juice, that sort of thing.

[markf424]

OK.. I roasted them, skinned them, cut them into moons, and sauteed them in balsamic and honey with thyme.

Grated a tiny bit of lemon zest at the end to brighten. They were good. I wouldn't say they're my new favorite food, but I'm not afraid of them anymore. Plus, they were locally grown and in season. Can't beat that.

One thing to mention - don't use your good cutting board when making these. I luckily had the foresight to prevent some staining on my "good" Boos block by using an auxillary cutting board. The stains aren't bad and are certain to go away over time, just figured I'd mention it for anyone who wasn't thinking ahead and had, say, butcher block countertops.

Thanks for the responses. I'll probably try again sometime before they go back out of season.

[Jason Perlow]

I like em roasted plainly, drizzled with olive oil and then served with skordalia, which is mashed potato mixed with a ton of garlic and more olive oil. Eat with toasted pita.

[jo-mel]

What to do with them? Give them to me!

I like them steamed, (on top of the stove) slip off the skins and mix in butter, black pepper and orange zest.

Roasting them brings out their natural sugar and they are wonderful that way.

I think I'm going to try Carolyn's grated pickled ones. Sounds zippy!

Also, Mark's balsamic/honey/thyme/lemon dish. Mark --- Your stove is so clean!!

[chardgirl]

I'm a roasted beet fan. YUM. they can be eaten hot or let cooled down and made into a salad, which Chez Panisse among others have proven.

Here's a raw beet preparation:

SIMPLE BEET SALAD WITH ONIONS

Grate scrubbed beets or cut into julienne; toss with chopped green onions and a vinaigrette you make or from a bottle in your fridge. Add toasted nuts and/or a sharp cheese (blue, Parmesan, feta). Serve alone or with lettuce.

cg

[Pan]

I don't like beets. Never have. But what I have had, and it has been many years since I tried one, were canned beets (which I seem to remember actually came a jar rather than a metal can) which I never liked.

I used to think I hated beets, but that was because I had only had canned beets, which are truly awful! Fresh beets, on the other hand, are delightful.

[chezlamere]

who cares what you do with the root, just cook the damn thing. It's the tops that are to die for. Cut the leaves off the stalk and steam them, then pour white vinegar, and a dash of balsamic and salt. Viola. I don't know what's better fresh from the garden, the first lettuce, the first peas, or the BEET TOPS.

[tanabutler]

who cares what you do with the root, just cook the damn thing. It's the tops that are to die for. Cut the leaves off the stalk and steam them, then pour white vinegar, and a dash of balsamic and salt. Viola. I don't know what's better fresh from the garden, the first lettuce, the first peas, or the BEET TOPS.

I think I could eat beets and/or red bell peppers every day of my life. But I'm not big on the sour beet thing. I'm willing to consider Ms. Tillie's elixir, but other than that, keep my beets unpickled and pure. Redolent, earthy goodness.

And beet greens? I need a fan. I love them so.

[curlywurlyfi]

another way with beets is roast the mini ones, slip off the skin, then serve with tzatziki (thick yoghurt into which you have stirred chopped mint, chopped spring onions, s + p)

or roast them just enough to slip off the skins, then cut them into wedges and toss them in olive oil, garlic and cumin, and roast hard and high till they get a little caramelized. Best to line the roasting tin with tinfoil or bake-o-glide for this one.

[Rushina]

My eyes are opened to ... BEETS!!

I had no idea there was so much one could do with them!!! Had heard of the very foriegn sounding Borscht but honestly never had the will to try it.

I grew up with them being boiled and tossed with a bit of salt and lemon juice, as a side dish or boiled and tossed in natural yoghurt with salt and cumin.

I like to grate them raw, mix in salt, pepper, corriander and lemon juice. That is my total experiance of beets. Unfortunately never found them with the tops on.

I just finished my last batch yesterday, grated the whole lot! Will have to wait untill the next shopping trip to experiment with the recipes here.

[Majra]

Hi, I'm new here. Might as well just jump right in, I suppose.

I love beets with horseradish. It's a magical combination.

[Bicycle Lee]

I think beet salad is great... beets seem to go very well with a sweet balsamic dressing (I know it's pedestrian).

Just some honey, brown sugar, balsamic, garlic, and EVOO and you're good to go.

I was going to suggest beet juice sorbet, but since you don't like beets that might be a stretch....that and beet espuma....

[pdycaico]

I did not like beets until last year. I was in Seattle and went to Delia’s. They had a roasted beet salad with Maytag blue cheese, pine nuts and radicchio in a beet reduction. I ordered it because I wanted to be adventurous and it was wonderful!

[Carolyn Tillie]

Had heard of the very foriegn sounding Borscht but honestly never had the will to try it.

Ah, it must be the Russian peasant in me that adores Borscht. I will go out of my way for a good bowl of it and it is on the definite must-make-soup list every winter as it positively warms the cockles...

Caspian Cuisine, a Russian restaurant in Santa Monica, makes an exquisite borscht and I tried desperately when I lived there to get their secret (never did find out what it is). For me the chunkier the better, lots of cabbage and hunks of beef. Oh yeah, and it MUST be served with dark, Russian-style pumpernickle bread, spread thickly with creamy sweet butter. Dah!

[Bicycle Lee]

ahhh yes...beet reduction...I almost forgot...

this is a great garnish....it looks awesome on a nice white plate...

[Dignan]

Thanks for all the replies... I think tomorrow is a beet roasting evening, with some beet top saute as a side bar. I'm gonna roast all the roots, then figure out what they actually taste like before taking them to the next level.

[chezlamere]

another way with beets is roast the mini ones, slip off the skin, then serve with tzatziki (thick yoghurt into which you have stirred chopped mint, chopped spring onions, s + p)

or roast them just enough to slip off the skins, then cut them into wedges and toss them in olive oil, garlic and cumin, and roast hard and high till they get a little caramelized. Best to line the roasting tin with tinfoil or bake-o-glide for this one.

oooooooh another thing to eat with my tzatziki. Once I didn't have any sour cream and my mother dropped some fresh home made perogies off, found some tzatziki in the fridge and haven't been able to eat perogies with anything else since.

Although my husband complains that I really really stink after indulging in the stuff.

[stovetop]

As one who is half-Polish, I'd recommend hot or cold borscht.

As one who is half-Norwegian, I'd recommend pickled beets and herring.

Yes on both

Beet soup

boil the beets set aside; cool, peel beets cut into chunks, add to soup at very end

make a good chicken broth

add large chunks carrots and cellery saute some onions with garlic bay leafs and thyme, add to stock; simmer

add lentils or potato or any starch or carbos

because carbs rule/ calories cause fat not carbs/ lack of exercise

yum

stovetop

[Anna N]

Even though I count myself among the beet-lovers, this thread has inspired me to try many different preparations. I can't wait to stock up on fresh beets and give it a go.

[magnolia]

Thanks for all the replies... I think tomorrow is a beet roasting evening, with some beet top saute as a side bar. I'm gonna roast all the roots, then figure out what they actually taste like before taking them to the next level.

I've only had a chance to skim this comprehensive post, but I can tell you my beau HATED beets until we had them at a friends - and now he can't get enough. Me, I never had anything against tinned "pickled beets" but didn't know what to do with the real thing. So a variation on a few of the above posts:

clean 'em

Take tops off (and use them separately if you are inclined)

leave skins on

Make a "package" out of aluminium foil

throw in some garlic cloves, the more the better

pour in some olive oil and if you like, some balsamic vinegar or drizzle with honey

seal package

Slow roast until you can pierce them with a sharp knife

They reduce when cooked so make more than you think you need; they're great cold the next day with a dollop of sour cream (like solid borscht I guess)

[foodie3]

the secret to great beets are young and sweet roots, if they taste muddy you might as well make borscht. one of my favorites is sour cream or creme fraiche on top of roasted beets, either warm or cold.