By Sidonie Maroon Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op

If you’re so so about beets, or better yet, despise them, then I’m hoping to change your mind. I understand because beets were my ultimate yuk food as a kid, but I’ve grown to love them as I’ve discovered their incredible flavors and versatility.

Beet Basics

Chioggia or candy stripe beets are from the Italian region of that name. They’re dramatically two-toned, with concentric circles of ruby and white when raw. When cooked, their rings turn to a soft rose— so eye-catching and painterly. Cylindrical beets are fabulous for ease of preparation. The cooked skin slips from the burgundy flesh, and when sliced, they topple into perfect rounds just like carrots. Golden beets have an orange skin but cook up yellow sweet. They lack the rich flavor of red beets but they make up for it in tidiness, and won’t turn your hands into a scene from Macbeth. Red Beets like Red Ace are sweet with an earthy mineral undertone, and dependable, getting you through the winter with soups and salads.

Beet Techniques

Steam or blanch beets for 1 to 3 minutes, so they lose their raw edge but remain crunchy and sweet. This works well if you grate or julienne them. A perfect prep. technique for salads, quick pickles, or beets in Greek yogurt with salt, garlic and lemon juice. 

Try this quick herring and beet salad. Pickled herring is tasty with earthy beets and apples. Chop peeled beets into a small dice and blanch for two minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Dice a sweet yet tart apple of the same size. Mince a couple of green onions. Rinse and drain a ½ cup of pickled herring. Toss together in a salad bowl. Make a dressing with 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, 1 teaspoon dill seed, a big squeeze of lemon, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 1 cup sour cream. Fold dressing into salad and serve.

Use an Instant Pot — Stab whole beets with a knife, set into a steamer basket with 1 cup water in the inner pot. Use high pressure: 15 minutes for small beets and up to 35 minutes for larger ones. The skins will slide off after cooking.

Roasting is the way to go for the utmost flavor! Peel the beets, dice, rub with oil, add salt and spices and roast at 425 F. Stir every 20 minutes for up to an hour on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Five Favorite Roasting Flavor Combos: 1) Black pepper, allspice and ginger 2) Szechuan pepper, star anise, coriander and orange  3) Clove, cinnamon, black pepper and fennel 4) Garlic, cilantro and cumin 5) Dill, mustard and horseradish

Beet Kvass is a traditional Slavic and Baltic probiotic beverage made by fermenting beets in brine. The natural lactic acid bacteria on the vegetable breaks down the carbohydrates into lactic acid, carbon dioxide and other compounds, resulting in a tangy, effervescent tonic. 

The fermentation process preserves nutrients and creates beneficial enzymes, vitamins, and probiotics. Beet kvass is said to support digestion and liver function.

Use 3 medium beets, chopped with 1 tablespoon of sea salt and filtered water. Place chopped beets in a 1/2 gallon glass jar with the salt. Fill the jar with filtered water, leaving 2-inches headroom at the top. Seal the jar loosely and let sit at room temperature for 3-5 days to ferment. Taste the kvass after 3 days - when it’s pleasantly tangy, strain out the beets and transfer the liquid to the fridge. Drink chilled. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

THE SWEET WITH THE SOUR

My beet wedding salad or side for a crowd

4 pounds red beets, roasted with skins on and juices reserved 

For the dressing

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/4 cup sugar (dark whole cane)

1/8 cup honey

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup reserved beet juices from roasting

2-3 tablespoons horseradish sauce

2 teaspoons caraway seeds, roughly ground

1/2 cup walnut oil

Salt to taste

1) Roast the beets in a 425 F preheated oven. Use a covered casserole lined with parchment paper. They should take from 1 to 1 ½ hours to cook, and pierce easily with a knife when done. Let them cool, then peel and dice. Save the beet juices for the dressing. 

2) Whisk the dressing together using a small food processor or by hand. Pour it over the beets. Let the salad sit for at least two hours or overnight before serving.

Extra Recipes

Orange Zest Roasted Beets with Horseradish Whipped Cream

(serves 4)

Heat oven to 425 F.

Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet

Peel four medium large beets and cut into a medium dice and put on the cookie sheet.

Drizzle with walnut oil, salt, one tablespoon orange zest, and sherry vinegar.

Rub into beets with hands coating all surfaces

 

Roast for 20 minutes and continue to roast at 15-minute intervals stirring at each until the beets are tender. This takes approx. 50-60 minutes

 

While the beets are roasting, make the horseradish whipped cream

One cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice from ½ lemon

2 heaping teaspoons prepared horseradish or to taste

Salt to taste

 

Put cream in a food processor or whip by hand. Be careful not to over whip. Fold in other ingredients after the cream is whipped. Taste and adjust flavors.

Serve whipped cream beside the roasted beets

Roasted Beet, Apple and Tomato Soup

Makes 5 cups
For Roasting

1 onion /150g chopped

1 large beet / 400g peeled and cut into a medium dice

1 baking apple / 200g chopped

1 cup tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)

½ cup /50g celery chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Spices: using a spice or coffee grinder, grind into a rough powder

1 teaspoon whole coriander seed

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon whole peppercorns

¼ teaspoon allspice berries

2 dried bay leaves, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay prepared onion, beet, apple and tomatoes together on the baking sheet. Rub spices and salt into the produce and dot with butter. Roast for 25 minutes, stir and continue to roast for 25 to 30 minutes more.

For Broth

Beet peelings

Ginger peelings

Celery ends

Parsley stems

Any other veggie or apple scraps available

6 cups water

Directions

On the stovetop, in a medium-sized pot, add straps and water to the pot and bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Strain and use the broth for the soup.

Finishing

Ingredients

2 cups broth

1 teaspoon pickle juice or apple cider vinegar (more if needed)

½ cup sour cream thinned with milk to a cream consistency.