Finally, the beet recipes!

As part of our continuing “day late and a dollar short” series, we finally get around to telling you what to do with those beets we keep giving you (but probably will stop doing so until the Fall – we just replanted and hope to see the second crop by September, or so).

First, some basic beet information – they are a storage crop, so you can keep them for a while, up to a month, in the refrigerator. Just TWIST off the tops (which can be eaten like any green – prepare as you would spinach or kale), and put the beets, skin, tap root, and an inch or so of green stem, into a plastic bag in your refrigerator.

The Basic cooking of beets is simple. Wash (but do not peel) them and drop them into a pot of boiling water; boil until they are potato consistency – that will take about 35 minutes for large beets, 30 for medium, and 20 for small. Just poke them with a fork to check if they are done. Drain and let cool off. The skins will slip off when they are cool. Take off the top stem and the tap root, and do what you will with them.

Or you can bake them, which I prefer, though I can’t say why. Prepare as above, and let them stay damp after washing. Cover a pan with tin foil (why, you ask? – just do it, and you’ll thank me. There is a lot of sugar in beets that cooks off and caramelizes…). Put the beets in the pan and cover it tightly with tin foil. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Then treat as above (cool, peel, process).

From this point, you can make my favorite, very easy dish – beet salad. Just slice or chop your beets (I like to slice the chiogga’s (the red beets we had out at the CSA) because they have a neat bulls eye design inside. Make your favorite balsamic dressing (or use mine: 1 part walnut oil, one part balsamic vinegar, one part soy sauce). Sprinkle the dressing lightly over the beets, add blue cheese crumbles, and toasted walnuts.

I love serving this on a tray next to a salad of cold green beans with bacon crumbles (had to work bacon in here somewhere) and chopped egg, and a lightly dressed (or slathered in pesto mayonnaise – my choice) potato salad.
If you boil 3 medium beets, also as above, you can make the famous Harvard beets (I believe you need to use RED beets for this recipe to stay true to the crimson tradition): Reserve ½ cup of your boiling liquid when the beets are done. In a medium saucepan, combine two tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and ¼ of a teaspoon salt. Stir in the reserved beet cooking liquid, ¼ cup of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Peel and slice your beets then add them to the mixture and heat through.

From CSA member Karla Ramsey, a beet recipe for those of you who are deciding you really don’t like beets (this is really pretty too):

Beet Hummus

3 medium beets, cleaned, roasted, peeled then cut into chunks (stick whole beets in oven at 375* then roast until a knife inserts easily)
2 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Process all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Tasted and adjust seasoning. Serve with a hefty drizzle of olive oil.