A bonanza of beets...

[abyssinia]

Good morning (or whatever time of day it is where you live) Omnomnom-ers

In the past year I've learned to enjoy beets, and in a moment of weakness at the farmer's market yesterday I picked up, for $8, a really giant bag of not-quite-perfect beets. The only problem is, now I'm not sure what to do with them.

I was wondering if anyone had any borscht recipes they swear by, or any other beet recipes in general.

My default beet recipe is:

1) Slice beets into thin pieces

2) Toss them in a little oil, then season somehow (Italian seasoning, parmesan and breadcrumbs, garlic powder, whatever)

3) Lay them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.

And while it is very yummy, I don't think I can eat the entire bag this way.

Comments

[copracat]

If they are large, you can stuff them with mince, herbed rice or whatever you like stuffing vegetables with and bake them.

You can cut them into chunks and roast them in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. This is lovely in a salad with spinach and goat's cheese or just as a vegetable side.

You can roast them, chopped into chunks, with other veg such as sweet potato, capsicum, pumpkin, garlic and onion. This is a nice dish by itself.

[j00j]

Ever had pickled beets? I don't have a specific recipe to recommend, but the ones on the interwebs don't look too complicated. I think they're tasty, and it would preserve the beets for future nomming.

[teapot_rabbit]

I was going to suggest the same. Pickled beets are tasty, and they'll keep for quite a while.

[explorer0713]

Harvard beets are similar in taste but have a creamy sauce. I don't like them because I don't like vinegar - but - they are probably the most gorgeous dish I ever seen. Deep burgundy color with a glossy sheen.

[shadowspar]

I'm not a huge fan of beets, but these are really nice and really simple. They go well in a salad, or you can use them as a side. It's a fairly large recipe but it halves.

Orange-glazed beets
(from Vegan With a Vengeance)

• 1½lb / ¾kg beets (3-4 average sized); peeled, quartered, sliced ~¼"/½cm thick
• 1 cup / 250ml orange juice
• 1 tsp / 5ml orange zest
• 1 tsp / 5ml maple syrup
• 1 tsp / 5ml salt

Put everything into a large pan, cover, and bring to a low boil. Simmer for around 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover & reduce to give a nice glaze.

[azurelunatic]

My favorite is just plain boiled and sliced.

[stealth_noodle]

I got this recipe from a friend a couple years ago and now live off it during the winter.

Boil two or three beets until tender, then cool, peel, and mash. Mix the mash with an egg, a handful of flour, and some garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, turmeric, and thyme (adjust spices to your liking). Toss in a handful or so of blue cheese crumbles. The texture of the mix should be like a thick glue (add more flour to thicken if necessary).

Form the mix into burger-sized patties and pan-fry them at high heat. They're usually very crumbly, so don't be surprised if they're no longer quite patties when you're finished. I find these are extra-good topped with a bit of sour cream or sriracha sauce.

[alphaviolet]

That sounds good.

[stealth_noodle]

It is! :D

[rydra_wong]

Beets worked really well with the polenta crust.

IIRC, I baked them whole, sliced them, then did the polenta crust thing. I was inspired by the fact that I like beetroot tempura, whereas normally I'm fairly beet-averse.

To the rescue!

[stultiloquentia]

Beet Burgers with Lime Tarragon Mayo. These have a lot of ingredients, but they're seriously worth the trouble. And they freeze well.

[minxy]

My favorite special beet recipe is to bake them in a salt crust, which cuts the sweetness, and eat them with a creme fraiche (or sour cream) and horseradish sauce. To keep it from getting heavy, there is thyme and orange zest in the salt and the sauce, adding great bright flavors. This is a different way of eating beets, and I usually break it out when I stop appreciating the deliciousness of my other recipes (at the peak of harvest, usually!)

The amazing upside of beets is that they store amazingly well in the freezer after you cook them, did you know? Bake and then freeze, it will be the most spectacular taste mid-winter. Last year, my CSA had a bonanza of beets; I was so tired of them by the end of the summer and so loved them in the winter months.

[redsnake05]

I like beets boiled and eaten cold in a salad with rocket and herbs, walnuts, parmesan and a strong vinegarette. I also like them grated into soup, often with carrot and onion. It's not borscht, but it satisfies my soup cravings.

[twistedchick]

Cut into small chunks and microwave with fresh mint leaves.

[rainbow]

i love them roasted whole drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper until they're tender and a bit carmelized.

here's how i make borscht: cut beets, carrots, cabbage, celery, onion (adjust to whatever veg you like) into small bite-sized pieces and simmer til tender in just enough water (or good beef stock with cooked beef in it) to cover, seasoned with salt, pepper, dill. (irish potatoes are in many recipes, i just can't eat them.)

*important* do not overcook the beets! the colour fades if they're overcooked and you won't have the wonderful jewellike red.

season with fresh lemon juice, fresh snipped dill weed, and sour cream.

if you don't use meat, it can be pureed if you want a smooth soup (the meat never purees right for me), and it can be served hot or cold.

you can vary it by adding sausage (polish sausage is especially yummy), different sorts of root veg (parsley root, turnip, etc), add greens (beet greens, spinach, etc), leaving out the cabbage (i like it best without the cabbage, actually, but i'm a beet FIEND).

i may need to get some beets next saturday at the farmers market....

[holyschist]

I am glad someone mentioned borscht! I don't have a recipe, but it is pretty great.

[thingswithwings]

Here's a borscht recipe that my family got from a family of Mennonites in Manitoba - it is quite delicious!

2-3 lb. soupbone
2 qts. cold water
Simmer for 1.5 hours. Cut meat off bone and set aside.
1.5 tsp salt
1 lg. onion – diced
1 small cabbage – chopped
1 large beet – chopped
2 carrots – diced
2-3 potatoes - diced
1 tsp dill seed in bag
1-2 tsp parsley
0.25 cup ketchup
1 can tomatoes
0.5 tsp pepper
Add salt and pepper and first five ingredients to broth. Simmer covered for ten minutes. Add dill and parsley (and more boiling water if necessary). Add meat, tomatoes, ketchup and seasoning to taste. Add sour cream just before serving.

[zero_pixel_count]

Coincidentally (or probably not, it's a season thing) I had the first beets from my garden last night - the roots I just wrapped in foil and roasted for an hour or so at about 180C. The greens and stems I steamed, which made my dieting other half happy even if I essentially went 'ugh, spinach' and had to choke them down...

Borscht I do make, but am utterly unhelpful about - since my method is 'make a stew with thinly sliced onions, garlic, beetroot, carrot, cabbage and a little potato, throw in plenty of sour cream and dill at the end' - not exactly a recipe, I know.

I also made a clear beet soup last year (which was kind of an accident; I was planning a clear vegetable soup, but made the mistake of listening to a recipe that called for lemons in the stock. Which was, as you'd expect, extremely sour, so I diced the beetroots and threw them in to cut the sourness, since I had, you know, a room full of people expecting a soup course. It was surprisingly pleasant, if, er, easily mistaken for jelly owing to the clearness and vibrant red colour! I would make it again, but with less lemon.)

[leanne]

I make beet rösti, which is kind of like making beet hash browns. Really tasty stuff. Full details on how to do it are on my food blog, here: http://www.auntiepasto.com/?p=123

It's mildly complicated, but I give really thorough directions. Just don't want to type it all up again! (:

[red_eft]

This is my mom's beet soup recipe. It's vegetarian, but you could probably add sausage or something? It is delicious and possibly my favorite soup ever. mm, now I want some.

The measurements are approximate- you can adjust to your liking.

3 large beets. peeled, obvs.
2 large green apples. You can peel these, or not.
2 large onions
1/2 a head of cabbage

Chop up the above. Size is up to you- however large you like in your soup.

Saute the beets, onions, and apples in some butter until the onions get a little see-through, but not totally brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add vegetable stock to cover- you can adjust the amount depending on how brothy you want it. Bring it to a boil, then down to a simmer. Wait until the beets are tender (this will probably take a little while). Then add the cabbage and cook for a further five or ten minutes. If you like a thicker soup, you can toss some into a blender and blend it to whatever consistency you like. Serve with sour cream. Yum.

Ignore the title

[jesse_the_k]

My Carrot-Cumin-Carrot Salad is half beets, and probably could be 100% beets. Very savory, ages well (but never lasts).

Re: Ignore the title

[theora]

Our CSA recipe person gave out a recipe along those lines but a bit simpler: grated raw carrots and beets in a dressing of oil and lime juice with cumin and cilantro. Your version sounds interesting and it might finally give me something to do with edamame.

[theora]

Harvard beets are nice and pretty easy to make. I also like this Madhur Jaffrey recipe.

[tattycat]

I really like to roast them whole and then chunk them up with goat cheese.

Not edible but.....

[explorer0713]

As you probably noticed by the new stains on your cutting board, beets make a great natural dye. It would be a good way to use up those end pieces and peels. I would probably bundle them in cheese cloth though, so you can just remove the whole thing and not have to pick out a bunch of little bits from your cloth/yarn/floss - whatever.

[alphaviolet]

I make a casserole with beets, onions, sweet potatoes, and carrots (sliced). I put in some honey and/or spices. Maple syrup would probably work too. I'd recommend ginger or maybe cinnamon with it.