# I love beets. Ideas?



## QSis (May 26, 2005)

... they are too much of a pain to prepare fresh.  

I actually think canned beets are pretty darned good, but I rarely think of getting them.  When I do, I just heat them up in a pan, drain, then mix them with a little butter and balsamic vinegar.

Anyone have any other ideas?  They are SO good for you!

Lee


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## HanArt (May 26, 2005)

They're good in lettuce salads too.


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## jpmcgrew (May 26, 2005)

Nothing wrong with canned beets I like to put a couple of cans in the fridge so they are ready when I need them and then eat them on a salad


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## luvs (May 26, 2005)

how 'bout Harvard beets?


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## crewsk (May 26, 2005)

Here's the recipe I use for Havrard beets. I have made it with fresh & canned with equal success. http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8604&highlight=Harvard+Beets


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## Andy M. (May 26, 2005)

I will express my opinion of beets in a calm and measured manner.


*Beets - YUCK!!!*



...and furthermore,


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## middie (May 26, 2005)

lmao andy i have to agree. sorry guys


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## luvs (May 26, 2005)

oh, i hate beets, too, lol. just suggesting something. (there are 3 things i hate. uncooked bell pepper, beets, and pickled pig's feet.)
another thing: my Parents soak canned beets, liquid and all, in white vinegar with sliced white onion.


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## HanArt (May 26, 2005)

luvs_food said:
			
		

> another thing: my Parents soak canned beets, liquid and all, in white vinegar with sliced white onion.


 
My mom used to do that with hard boiled eggs. Delicious!!!


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## luvs (May 26, 2005)

i've had those rosy pickled eggs before, hanart. can't say i'm a fan, but i love eggs pickled in white vinegar and garlic. they sell them at the bar and at the beer distributor, but i figured, why pay? so i swiped the recipe from a jar of Penrose ones and made my own.


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## sarah (May 27, 2005)

smon guys beets are not that bad,infact i like them a lot.I make beet bhaji with cubed beef and lots of green chilies and eat it with pita bread,its delicious!


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## Ishbel (May 27, 2005)

I like beetroot as a side dish for cold meats.  Slice into thin slices, add a little orange juice and the zest of an orange.  Chill before serving.

Or beetroots also an interesting change from potato chips(English french fries!) or  crisps (potato chips?) I do this with parsnips, too.

Approx 1 pt sunflower oil to deep fry the crisps/chips
couple of beetroot,  peeled and either sliced or chipped
200ml/7fl oz Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Heat the vegetable oil in large saucepan or deep fryer. Drop the  beetroot chips/crisps  into the oil and deep-fry until crispy.
Remove chips or crisps from oil and drain on kitchen paper.
Prepare a dip for the crisps by combing the yoghurt and chives.
Place the dip and crisps in bowls and serve.


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## buckytom (May 27, 2005)

i love beets, all kinds prepared different ways. my faves are pickled and sliced on salads, boiled and shredded with fresh horseradish, julienned and fried with malt vinegar, cubed or baby beets boiled, peeled, and served cold with farmers cheese and rye bread. hmmm, i'm sure there's some ways i've forgotten, but suffice it to say i could eat them every day.

a cool thing to do is put some (shelled) hard boiled eggs in the leftover brine from pickled beets overnight. they come out neat shades of reds, pinks, and purples.


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## Claire (May 27, 2005)

I buy canned all the time.  Spouse does not like them.  A very favorite is to drain and slightly rinse them, the pop them into a jar of "pickle" juice from any jar I particularly liked -- sweet, sour, dill, kosher -- all taste good.  I was rather surprised (since it is a "love 'em or hate 'em thing with beets) at how quickly they went when I added some to a relish tray (this is best with little whole beets, people pick them up with a toothpick).  Sometimes I add a whole dried hot pepper to the jar.  I also like to buy a can of juilenned ones, drain and add to a composed salad (tossed, of course, they'll turn it all red); really good with a creamy type dressing.


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## Ishbel (May 27, 2005)

Are American beetroots just in brine?  Most in the UK are pickled in malt vinegar or in vinegar and sweetened...


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## Michael in FtW (May 27, 2005)

I picked this idea up from a little restaurant in Austin, TX back about 1972 or so when I was in college there ... don't remember if it was the Polish or Russian one. Both had a similar dish - one used pickled beets, the other used plain beets. I prefer the flavor contrast with the sour cream using pickled - but the plain beets are okay, too.

1 Jar (or can) pickled beets - quartered, cubed or sliced
2-3 Tablespoons butter
1/4-1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Pinch of Salt

Bring the beets to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until heated through (about 5-6 minutes). Drain all but about 1 Tablespoon of juice and add butter and salt. Stir to melt butter and coat the beets. Add the sour cream and stir to coat the beets.

You can also do this in a microwave ... put the beets in a microwave safe dish, cover with plastic wrap and poke a couple of holes in the plastic wrap to allow steam to escape. Heat on high for 2-3 minutes and then allow to sit for a couple of minutes before unwrapping and proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Of course, the way they did it in the restaurants was using fresh beets and cooking them till just fork tender/tender-crisp. It's a lot more trouble - but the texture is worth it if you have the time. Depending on brand - canned beets (in tin cans) tend to be softer than the ones in jars.


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## buckytom (May 28, 2005)

that's the stuff michael. the flavor contrasts with beets and things like sour cream or farmers cheese, with a hunk o' bread is amazing. subtle but incredible.

ishbel, from my experience (not that i could possibly speak for my entire country), most americans have beets that are pickled in a sweetened brine. i have made them in sweet, spicy hot, and just straight salt brines, but i must say that i enjoy them fresh (boiled and skinned) just as much. i am lucky enough that dw has eastern european heritage that includes many fresh beet recipes and i wish more people would try them that way. imo, beets have a delicate earthy quality in the same vein as mushrooms...


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## Ishbel (May 28, 2005)

BT
Thanks for the info.

I love fresh beetroot, too.  I have an old saucepan that is used only for boiling beetroots.  It is a strange murky colour - but as it is only a cheap pan, I don't mind!


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## luvs (May 28, 2005)

michael and bucky, betcha they wouldn't be half bad in FRESH cream! i might even like those...
....nah. i doubt it!


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## IcyMist (May 28, 2005)

I absolutely love pickled beets that have been pickled in white vinegar, not those icky ones that they drown in sugar and whatever else they put in them.  shudder.  

Also nothing better than adding beets to a salad, yummmmmmmmmm.


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## jkath (May 28, 2005)

a great way to have little girls try beets when they're little - cook them in a bit of butter and serve over pasta. You'll have "Barbie" noodles. Of course, I have sons, so they just eat them plain.


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## Robo410 (Feb 18, 2006)

it is amazing how good roasted beets are with pasta and a spicy red sauce and goat cheese.  (served on the side) for the meat serve chunks of char broiled lamb.  this combination is fantastic.


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## QSis (Feb 18, 2006)

mmmm Robo, that meal sounds fabulous!

How do you do the beets?  I assume that they are fresh?  Details, please!

Lee


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## Constance (Feb 18, 2006)

I love beets...I used to grow them back when I was the super gardener/canner. 
I enjoy cooking them, too...they are so cool. You just boil them until they're crisp/tender, drain, and put in a pan of cold water. The skins slip right off. If you don't want to stain your hands, use latex gloves. 

If you check out the canning section, I posted a very good pickled beet recipe. Back when I made them, I didn't have 2 nickels to rub together, so I made them without the mixed pickling spice, which was quite expensive. I don't think it adds all that much. 
I can eat the plain sliced ones, too, but I've never tasted some of these fancy ways you all are talking about. The sour cream and horseradish sure sounds good. I might even get HB to try one of those.

I have a friend who makes borscht. It really sounds yucky to me, but I'd try it once. Have any of you all ever eaten it?


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## Ishbel (Feb 20, 2006)

Another way I like them is scrubbed, topped and tailed (only use smaller ones) and then put in a foil parcel with a good glug of EVOO and freshly ground salt and pepper, together with the zest from a good sized orange.  Cook until the beetroots are soft and then peel and serve as a side veg.


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## Robo410 (Feb 20, 2006)

I trim the tops and scrub em, pop em in a baking dish with 1/2 cp water cover with foil and roast for 1 hr at 350*F.  I peel them with a knife (skin comes right off) squeeze fresh orange juice on them, a little salt and pepper and fresh dill and wow!  bright fresh flavor, great with meats and stews,even a pasta and red sauce...great with goat cheese.  well worth the time.  much better than canned or jarred I think.


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## Piccolina (Feb 27, 2006)

I've found that fresh or cooked beets are excellent with apples, peaches and pears. They also seem to have an way with hard cheeses and are surprisingly good with fennel. Roasted beets (perhaps as part of a mixed pan of root veggies) with a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh herbs and a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper make a nice accompaniment to meat dishes like roast beef or game.


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## mish (Feb 27, 2006)

QSis said:
			
		

> ... they are too much of a pain to prepare fresh.
> 
> I actually think canned beets are pretty darned good, but I rarely think of getting them. When I do, I just heat them up in a pan, drain, then mix them with a little butter and balsamic vinegar.
> 
> ...


 
I'm with you, Lee. Glad to see this topic come to the top again. Don't know why I don't buy them more often, as I always head for the beets at the salad bar. The plate I put together - cottage cheese, beets, garbanzos, cherry tomatoes, raw broccoli, and sometimes some cold macaroni salad. Weird combo, I know. 

In one of my homemade pasta books, beet juice is incorparated into the dough. The color is lovely - wish I could show you a pic. Haven't tried it yet, though.

Some time ago, I posted a recipe called B-O-R-S-C-H-T. You can probably find it in a search here.

Since I prefer beets cold, I may try topping a cold macaroni or potato salad with shredded beets. (Not wild about hard-boiled eggs, but that could be another addition.) Beet pancakes?

Here's a link with lots of Beet recipes. (The beet fettuccine with caviar looks to-die-for.  Bring on the sour cream.):

http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/inxbet.html


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