The Whole Beet
July 31, 2008
This article from the NY Times "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" contains a list of vegetables that are uncommon on American dinner plates today. But, aside from the obvious benefit of eating leafy greens and pumpkin anything, I was horrified to see the cooking suggestions. "Chop and saute in olive oil" is a little too plain for the humble Swiss Chard. But eating beets "Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad" is simply sinful. Beets are not just the bulbs. They have amazing leafy greens that are also edible and delicious. The attitude that leaving out the greens in beet recipes is normal, is not confined to the NY Times. When I went to Mexico, I went with my "concunada" to the market. I had to rescue the beet greens from the vendor. He was about to chop off the greens when I stopped him. He was confused why I'd want the "weed" growing on top of the bulb. I guess after searching for recipes using the greens, I can agree that it doesn't make much sense to eat the greens too, but be assured, it is edible and delicious. And before I forget - raw beet bulbs can be extremely bitter. Jaime Oliver does have an interesting recipe for raw beets in horseradish dressing, but I can't say I've tried it.At any rate, I've cooked a soup with the beet greens before following a recipe from Mario Batali. Based on the success (at least personally) of that dish, I decided to create a recipe using the Whole Beet. For this dish, I whipped up some delicious garlicky potatoes, and served wilted beet greens on top, and finished it off with baked slices of beets (the golden variety). I added a little red wine vinaigrette on top for extra flavor. I have to admit - it tasted delicious. So fooey with the NY Times - the beet greens and bulbs are edible, and I think best served cooked.
For the mashed potatoes:
- 3 Russet potatoes, scrubbed and boiled
- handful of Italian Parsley, chopped
- 3 bulbs of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp milk (or more depending on your preference)
- salt & pepper to taste
Whip the potatoes with a mixer or a potato masher until frothy.
For the Beets:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- 1 bunch of beets, golden
- beet greens washed, and chopped
- 1/4 onion, sliced (I used a white onion, but a red one would be better)
- 1/4 c white wine
- optional sesame seeds
Step One: Separate the beets from the greens. Pick through the greens and throw out any unsavory characters. Wash both greens and beet bulbs thoroughly to remove dirt.
Step Two: Peel the beet bulbs, and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread around a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Test for softness and turn beet slices over. Finish baking for about 5 minutes or until beets are thoroughly cooked and tender. Remove from the oven to cool.
Step Three: Saute the onions in a pan over medium heat with a good plug of olive oil until they sweat. If you have sesame seeds, toss them in as well. Add beet greens and saute with salt and pepper. Pour in white wine (this tends to temper the bitterness of beet greens). Cook until beets are wilted and wine has cooked off a bit (about 5 minutes).
Step Four. Place a pile of mashed potatoes down on plate as base. Place beet greens on top, and finish off with cooked beet rounds. I also poured on a tablespoon of red wine vinaigrette for flavor. You can do the same, or be creative and make a butter sauce or just plain old olive oil.
This vegetarian dish has it all: carbs, greens, and booze. Now isn't that a tad bit better that "eat raw as a salad?"
Labels: beets, potato, vegetarian
And what to do with those beets . . .
August 09, 2006
So you've used the beet greens, I hope, and are now wondering how to salvage those naked little bulbs in your veggie bin before they rot. Now, before you decide to abandon them to a moldy fate, I implore you to give them this one chance to redeem themselves as a wonderful salad.
Beets have a very "rooty" taste and when cooked, the texture is nothing like a potato but more like . . . well, I can't really say there is anything like a cooked beet. If you've ever had beets from a can, fresh beets are slightly more crunchy and have more of that characteristic minerally taste to them. I used my "leftover" beet bulbs to create a quick shredded salad. You can be as creative as you'd like to be and add it to a regular green salad, or cubed rather than shredded tossed with cooked, chilled asparagus. The possibilities are endless.
You will need:
- 5-8 beets, stems removed, washed
- 1 can of small mandarin oranges
- 4 tbsp of red or white wine vinegar
- 6 tbsp of olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp of sugar
Step One: In a pot of water (about4 cups), place the beets and cook over medium-high heat for about 35-45 minutes or until very tender. Remove from heat, drain, and plunge into an ice bath.
Step Two: After the beets are chilled, peel them and shred the bulbs on a cheese grater or cube up for tossed salad. Mix the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a separate bowl. Drizzle over the beets and toss with small mandarin oranges.
You can eat the beets like this, or take these beets and sprinkle them over a salad. If you have a good beet recipe, please share. I am also trying to find a recipe for creamed beets to make with latkes. Mmmm.
Roman Beet Greens Soup
August 04, 2006
For some reason 2 bunches of red beets decided to jump into my shopping cart as I quickly passed them buy in search of porcini mushrooms, and even more curious, I bought them without any inclination of what to do with these bulbs of fuscia bitterness. I searched all of my cookbooks, and would you believe that only one cookbook had a recipe? And would you believe that the recipe had nothing to do with the beets, but rather the beet greens?!
Yes, I was shocked to learn that the green stalks of the beets are edible, and in fact are more common to eat than spinach in many places throughout Britain and Italy (the bulb is sadly discarded or used merely for its intense fuscia colored juice). So, here is a Mario Batali quick and easy soup featuring the beet greens. The taste is slightly spicy, like how arugula can be spicy or a bit peppery. It may sound odd, but the flavor is rather aromatic and goes wonderfully with bread and salad (the bonus feature is that it took all of 20 minutes to cook).
You will need:
- 1/4 c of olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick dice
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cups of washed and sliced beet greens (about 2 bunches of beets will do the trick)
- 1 c white wine
- 1/2 c vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 c of water
- 1 bay leaf
- grated parmesan
In a large stock pot, combine olive oil, garlic cloves, onion and cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, salt to taste, red pepper flakes, and the green beet leafs. Stir in the stock, water, wine, and bay leaf, simmering for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Serve in bowls with grated parmesan over the top and crostini or fresh french bread.
