Just beet it, beet it / No one wants to be defeated / Showin' how funky and strong is your fight / It doesn't matter who's wrong or right /Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat itBeets are one of my least favorite vegetables, along with fennel and amaranth, and I struggle to make myself eat them. I have unpleasant childhood memories of being pushed to eat canned beets, and the thought of them just makes me gag.
But eat them I shall, as they showed up in my Harmony Valley Farm CSA box this week. I'm going to try not to let beets defeat me this season.
Beets have a long, long, long culinary history. Wikipedia notes:
The sea beet, the ancestor of modern cultivated beets, prospered along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Beetroot remains have been excavated in the Third dynasty Saqqara pyramid at Thebes, Egypt, and four charred beetroot fruits were found in the Neolithic site of Aartswoud in the Netherlands. ... the earliest written mention of the beet comes from 8th century BC Mesopotamia. The Greek Peripatetic Theophrastus later describes the beet as similar to the radish, while Aristotle also mentions the plant. Roman and Jewish literary sources suggest that by the 1st century BC the domestic beet was represented in the Mediterranean basin primarily by leafy forms like chard and spinach beet.....Later English and German sources show that beetroots were commonly cultivated in Medieval Europe.
So there were probably kids in ancient Mesopotamia who were forced to eat beets by their parents...
There are several varieties of beets beyond the standard red ones, including Chioggia and golden beets. These taste slightly better to me than the red ones.
Beets can be steamed, roasted, or pickled; shredded raw and served in a cold salad; or added to soups. Borscht is a very popular soup in Eastern European countries.
Like many other root vegetables, both the bulb and the greens can be eaten. I do have to say that I enjoy beet greens, just not the bulb. Swiss chard and spinach are closely related to the beet plant, and so beet greens can be used interchangeably in recipes calling for these vegetables. They are super nutritious greens.
On to the beet recipes, ooh, I can't wait....
Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens
Spring Garden Medley - includes baby beets, greens, kale and spring onions
Risotto with Beet Greens and Roasted Beets
Beet Roesti with Rosemary - a Mark Bittman recipe
And my favorite titled post, Beet recipes for a hater? from the Chowhounds
When all else fails, I can probably turn to:
Chocolate Beet Brownies from Mariquita Farm.
Note this page has several other beet recipes, including Honeyed Beet Quinoa Summer Salad, Beet and Blue Cheese Spread, Carrot and Beet Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette, and Chilled Beet Soup with Chives.
3 comments:
Aww, beets are the thing I look forward to most from the CSA. Personally, I think roasting and slicing them thin is really the best way to eat them and has converted some former beet haters.
Beets are a polarizing vegetable; people seem to either love them or hate them.
Since posting this, several beet lovers I know have told me that roasting is the way to go, plus adding a strong cheese like blue cheese or goat cheese, some toasted nuts and a vinaigrette. I'll have to try that next time I get beets in the box.
Your post was perfect timing. I had some leftover roasted beets and was looking for something new to do with them. The link to Mariquita Farms recipes did the trick. Made the Honeyed Beet Quinoa Summer Salad last night (with a few variations). Mighty tasty and a beatuiful magenta color!
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