Aug 07 2011
I have never met a beet I didn't like. The first thing you notice if you ever picked beets out of a garden is the crisp dark green leaves with ruby red veins. When you extract the beet root from the soil there is the jewel, a bright red to darkish purple plump firm tuber. There are golden beets, pink and white beets and even the two toned red and white beets. Beets vary in size and shape some globe like and some elongated.
All beets share a remarkably high sugar content for a vegetable and are paired perfectly with salty components and a splash of something acidic such as lemon juice or vinegar to balance out their flavor...ahhh the delectable appeal of the beet. When properly prepared the humble beet is raised to the seductive equivalent of a childhood treat, beautiful to look at and unresistable.
Many people I have found have quite an aversion to the beet, which often is linked to a bad experience, (canned pickled beets?- Yuck!). Whether you are a passionate beet lover or ready to give beets a second chance, now is the season to do so. Beets are at their peak from mid summer through the early winter months. In the summer you get the added bonus of the beautiful beet greens or tops which taste lovely too sauted in a little oil with lots of garlic.
I enjoy beets in so many ways from the simple preparation of grating raw beets to add some crunch and sweetness to a bitter green salad, roasted in the oven and infusing in sherry or balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, or made into more complex hot and cold dishes. Recently I prepared sweet and savory flavored beet cakes by combining grated beets, carrots, garlic, onion, walnuts, garbanzo bean flour and seasonings into little cakes and frying them in oil....perfect accompaniment to a crispy green salad topped with Acorn Hill Goat cheese.
Beets are the perfect blood tonic and purifier, good for improving circulation, and a great benefit to the liver. Beet greens also have good amounts of iron, calcium and vitamins A, B complex and C. Be cautious about eating "too" many beet greens as they are high in oxalic acid which inhibits calcium absorption.
For a super simple meals, thinly slice or grate some peeled beets, (or roast them first), toss with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, fresh chopped dill and minced onion or scallion. Place marinated beets atop of some spicy arugula and garnish with chopped roasted walnuts. I like to add a few slices of orange segment or fresh sliced peached and drizzle the whole thing with a little more olive oil and lemon. Dig in!
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