Call me crazy, but I love beets, with their ruby red color and sweet flavor. I've known that beets are nutritional powerhouses, with powerful nurtients and anti-oxidents, sometimes credited for the long and healthy lives of many Russian people. While I've been known to eat beets out of a can, I've enjoyed them most as part of salads, often combined with spinach, goat cheese and orange sections at some of my favorite restaurants.
I'd been intimidated about cooking them myself until recently, when I purchased some at the farmer's market and challenged myself to conquer my fears. Well, it couldn't be much easier to cook perfect beets myself, I've now learned. I created this salad to cut the sweetness of beets, and I now have a new favorite way to enjoy these root vegetables. I'd recommend serving these with a simple French omelet with salami and cheddar. Next, I'm going to figure out how to cook those lovely green and purple leaves that I cut off the beets.
French Beet Salad
Prep (10 minutes) + Cook (45 minutes)
6 servings
3 medium to large beets
2 tsp. grainy Dijon mustard
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
Scrub the beets, cut off the greens, leaving about 1 inch of stems, and steam them in about 1 inch of boiling water for 45 minutes, until they are fork tender. Drain the beets, rinse them in cold water, and peel the skins, using your fingers or a vegetable peeler. (Note: you can cook the beets up to 24 hours in advance.) Dice the beats and place them in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the mustard and vinegar, and pour them over the beets, stirring thoroughly. Refrigerate the salad for at least 20 minutes and up to 48 hours. Serve it with a salami and cheddar omelet.
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3 comments:
I love beets and I'm all about cold soup these days.
Try this easy summer borscht:
6 beets, peeled
1 lemon
water
salt & pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
Boil peeled beets in enough water to cover until tender -- about 20 minutes depending on size.
When beets are cool enough to handle, shred them in a grater and return to cooking water. Add salt, pepper, and lemon to taste.
In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of the beet water to the sour cream and stir well to temper.
Add sour cream mixture to beets in water, stir and chill for a few hours in the fridge.
Serve, adjusting seasonings to taste!
For other great cold soups, see www.thefoodscribe.com.
-April
I can't stand to have hot pot on the stove that long these days. I have discovered the joys of julienned beets -- I do it by hand, but you could use a coarse blade on the ol' machine, as well. Then sautee quickly in olive oil or butter, salt and pepper and you're done. I add these to everything. My kids (8 and 4) have loved beets in cycles for years. The key to beet success is nothing bigger than a golf ball -- even WF offers them much too large.
Also, my 8 yo LOVES turnips. They are sweet yet less intense than beets. That's the one veg she never turns down (even potatoes get the snub sometimes these days). She will even eat them like a carrot, after school, plain.
The greens are super easy! And fast! Cut off the big tough stems. Have the kids wash and spin the leaves. Heat up your dutch oven (or other enamel over cast iron) add olive oil. Sautee a lot of garlic for just a flash (don't wait for it to get too brown or you risk burning) then throw the greens in, add salt and pepper and keep it moving in the pan until wilted to your preference. deee-lish. Much milder than spinach (and good for those who are allergic to or dislike tannins).
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