"BEETS"?

[fruglescot]

What interesting things do Chowhounds do to intigrate beets into their diets?

[Harters]

Apart from roasting or making soup or chutney, I like them shredded. Some could go in a salad. I also stir-fry shedded beetroot in olive oil and finish with a splash of red wine vinegar.

In terms of already cooked beetroot, that you migth buy pouched or canned from the supermarket, Australians like a slice on top of burger. I've tried it & it works.

[MMRuth]

Beet chutney - that sounds interesting! Do you have a recipe?

[Harters]

Yep. And you're in luck for your side of the pond - I've had the recipe ages and it's in pounds rather than metric. This makes about 6 pounds. It's killer chutney - very good on the side of some cold roast pork or beef.

You need:

2 lbs raw beetroot
1lb onion
1.5 lbs apples (any sort)
1 lb raisins
2 pint malt vinegar
2 lb sugar
6 teaspoons ground ginger

Do you call it malt vinegar there? Not wine vinegar. This is a strong preserving vinegar - but for anyone who has travelled to the UK - it's what we'd put on fish and chips.

Anyway, method couldnt be easier. Grate the beet. Finely chop the onions and apples. Stick everything in pan (not aluminum as the vinegar reacts). Simmer for a couple of hours or so till it's thick. Put it into whatever preserving storage jars you use. We tend to use Kilner jars. Leave for at least 3 months.

John

[MMRuth]

Thank you! I've gotten used to using my scale etc., though I believe the English pint is a different size than the U.S. one. Would malt vinegar be the same as cider vinegar I wonder? I'll have to look it up - I'm not a fan of cider vinegar though. Does it make a huge amount - 2 lbs of sugar sounds like an awful lot? And you let it "age" for three months? I've always been a bit nervous about "putting things up" as my grandmothers would have said, but maybe this is the next frontier for me to cross....

[Harters]

Cider vinegar is like wine vinegar. The sort I'm talking is much stronger. Here's a link from your side of the pond: http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ834.html

Our main producer is Sarson's:-
http://www.britsuperstore.com/acatalo...

The recipe I gave will turn out about six pounds of finished product - I normally pack in 2 pound jars. And, yes, you must let age for a minimum of 3 months. It rounds of fthe rough edges of the sugar and vinegar so you get a nice gloopy tasty chutney. I am still using my 2006 vintage - the sugar and vinegar is such a good preservative that, even when you've opened a jar, it can be kept in a cupboard. Absolutely no need to take up fridge space.

And, yes, I think our pint is smaller than your pint. Although it could just as easily be the other way round :-)

[MMRuth]

Thank you!

[coll]

Heinz is the malt vinegar you will find around here, it's good for a lot of things, and you HAVE to try it on fried fish and french fries. Cider vinegar is very different: so many vinegars, so little time!

You should be able to find it in your normal grocery store, it's in table size bottles that look like this:

http://www.heinzvinegar.com/vinegars/...

[fruglescot]

SO many great sounding things on here to try with my beets.

[missfunkysoul]

There's something magical about the beet/feta/red onion trifecta... that, cold, in a pita, is one of my favorite things.

[BobB]

My wife is Russian so we eat a lot of beets in our house - roasted, mostly, but also steamed, and in borscht, which as she makes it is a much more complex soup than the jarred stuff I grew up on. Fresh beets, beet greens, chopped hard-boiled egg, some smashed up boiled potato, fresh chives & dill, and, of course, sour cream!

[Diane in Bexley]

Several people have already mentioned a few of my personal favorites but one missing item seems to be cold beet soup (borscht). Very refreshing on a hot summer day with a dollop of sour cream.

[RPMcMurphy]

Man, I saw this thread before and was going to find Mom's recipe for it and post but haven't gotten a chance to give her a call!

Definitely a summertime favorite here too!

[oakjoan]

When I saw this topic with the quotation marks, I thought it was about some food that had been made to look/taste like beets. Then I thought it was an insulting statement about beets that were so bad or so jazzed up that they were no longer beets, but "beets".

[fruglescot]

Beets me!
Apologies to all concerned with the design of my misleading header.

[smartie]

boiled beets in a cheese sauce is good.

[ark1118]

beets are my absolute favorite!

I like to scrub them, slice them really thin (think chips) toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven. Flip them over when they start getting crispy...I like them with extra crisp. So delicious.

[Pia]

This is sort of a restaurant cliche, but I love it and since no one has exactly mentioned it... salad greens, beets, toasted walnuts, creamy goat cheese, with a raspberry vinaigrette. (My favorite part -- can be assembled in under two minutes using prepared ingredients from Trader Joe's.)

[Megiac]

I like them in all of their forms, but we have recently discovered this recipe, which we both love: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fe...

I had an influx of beets I needed to use for a weeknight dinner, so we took a chance with it, even though it sounded bizarre. It has made it into the regular rotation.

[fayehess]

I liked the idea of grated beets and pasta, but not so much with the poppy. I changed to fennel (crushed and toasted), finely minced shallot, garlic, fresh parsley in with the shallot and garlic, and added fresh arugula at the end with the parmesan, a tab of butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. fayefood.com

[Megiac]

I should have added that. I've made it with and without the poppy seeds and actually prefer it without. Fennel seeds sounds like a great modification.

[glutton]

I pickle my own beets since that allows me to control the salt content. Those are wonderful right out of the jar.

I roast beets (cut the greens off, throw them in a dish with 1/4" of water, cover tightly, and roast until a knife easily pierces them) and then cut them up. We keep them in the fridge and eat them without adding anything. This works when you get great, fresh beets, like I get at a farmers market.

You can peel a raw beet and then julienne it (I use a mandoline to create the little matchsticks). Toss that with some julienned fennel, apple, blue cheese, candied pecans, and a vinegarette. It's a tasty, pretty, healthy salad.

[jsaimd]

i grew up with my grandma's pickled beets. They had spices in them - I know for sure cloves, maybe cinnamon. Mmmm... we would eat them with mac and cheese.

[jazzy77]

Mmmm...pickled beets are what I eat when I'm standing in front of the fridge looking for a snack.

I like shredded raw beets with shredded carrots and feta. It takes lots of chewing, but it's filling and good.

I second salads with roasted beet cubes, pistacios, frisee, maytag blue cheese, bacon bits, and a very light vinegarette. Yum.

[coll]

The greens are good sauteed in a little bacon fat.

[marcharry]

I tried this and they were fairly difficult to peel - actually - used red wine instead of water - flavor was great.

When do you peel them?

[BobB]

I peel them raw with a potato peeler and have little more difficulty than I do with potatoes. Just don't set them down on anything that stains easily.

[Will Owen]

Cold leftover roasted beets or canned sliced beets are popular salad ingredients around our house. I also like to roast beets along with other root things and maybe some chunks of winter squash all in the same well-greased pan under foil - beets, potatoes (three or four varieties from the farmer's market), carrots, onions and the like. I would add turnips if I could get Mrs. O to accept them as edible... Anyway, you do have to peel the beets after the roasting, but that's dead easy if you have some good heavy-duty rubber gloves. This is really good with a nice roast chicken or some pork chops.

[linguafood]

I like 'em Greek-style, as in patzaria: boiled, cooled down, sliced, drizzled with some olive oil and served with skordaliá (serious garlic cream...). Really actually the only way I eat them. No, wait. Not true. I like mine in herring salad as well, along with onion, apple, and walnuts. Yowsa.

[lmoy]

A couple weeks ago I made a red beet risotto for a dinner party -- it was delicious! The recipe is available on Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[crosby_p]

Very unhoundy, but I like em out of the can, heated with butter, salt and pepper!!

[Lisbet]

One of my favorite side dishes....especially for a holiday meal!

Harvard Beets
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups cooked beets, sliced

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add vinegar and water and boil gently until thick,
stirring constantly. Add butter or margarine and beets and reheat.
Four servings - 1/2 cup each.

Source: "U.S. Dept. of Agriculture - Sept., 1953"

[monkeyrotica]

Jacques Pepin did a first course that was just drained/sliced/canned beets mixed with a little sour cream, arranged in some Boston lettuce, and topped with pistachios. I thought it was pretty tasty, and the colors were great, but Mrs. Monkey didn't care for it.

[coll]

Pickled or roasted are my favorites. I love beet soup too, but what a mess!

[fayehess]

Try using disposable gloves and a flexible plastic cutting board.

[Val]

I agree with coll, pickled are awesome. Found a good brand "Aunt Nellie's" that has only 65 mgs Sodium per serving which is 2 beets, screamin' good! Need to try roasting them now.

[fayehess]

Peeled, chopped and roasted beets are fantastic with a spill of the best olive oil you can find and a good sprinkle of sea salt before they go in the oven (350 degrees). Give them a squeeze of fresh lemon juice when they come out. They are great with boiled and buttered potatoes, sliced boiled eggs that are still a bit soft, asparagus, chives and arugula
Borscht
A salad of blue cheese, braised string beans, beats and toasted pecans
boiled, dressed, and served alongside a ball of fresh mozzarella and a handful of dressed arugula leaves
fayefood.com

[scuzzo]

I love good beets, but don't enjoy canned or pickled too much. I roast 'em whole with the skins on. I'll often roast them on my grill while doing a whole chicken. I usually slice one up for me to eat with the chicken, using just butter, salt and pepper. The remaining beets get used on green salads.

Here's something fun to try. If you have a juicer, juice 2/3 rutabaga, and 1/3 beet. Don't even think of sneering at the mention of rutabaga. It's sweet and cuts down the heaviness of the beet. It's beautiful and delicious. I also add beet juice to many other juice combos like celery and carrot. I also have been juicing Nopale, for the health benefit. It's slimey, like aloe vera gel, but if you shake it up with celery and carrot juice it's not too bad.

[sueatmo]

Wow! Your beets sound fantastic. Do I understand you cube them and then roast them? I'd like to do something like this tomorrow night. thanks!

[NYchowcook]

Roast beets whole, generally.
Easy: Scrub and poke w/ a fork, Wrap in aluminum foil packets and roast in oven for about an hour or so until a sharp knife pierces them easily. Peel off skin while warm. Eat right away or save for later. But just *try* not snacking on a warm sliced beet. Heaven!

[scuzzo]

I roast my beets unwrapped. Unwrapped gives a bit more carmelized flavor, while wrapping gives more or a "steamed" lighter flavor. Both are good, just different.

[coll]

I was going to say that too, I started cooking in foil to contain the mess but they are no way roasted so I went back to the old way. So much better!