Filed under: Beets, Heirloom Foods, Local Food, Recipes | Tags: Beets, Borscht, Eat Local Week, Heirloom Foods, Local Food, Recipes, Sustainable, Vegan Cake
Perhaps you have have made a beautiful salad with lettuce, beets, and goat cheese, tossed it, and watched with dismay as the entire contents turned pink! One quickly learns to add the beets at the very end of the mixing, and to just sprinkle the cheese on top. The ruby red color we associate with beets is betacyanin, a pigment of the anthocyanin family which is very soluable in water! The very slightest amount of bruising will cause beets to “bleed”. There is a cure for your red hands and cutting board. Use fresh lemon juice to clean either.
Actually the Russians take full advantage of bleeding beets to create their deep ruby red borscht. The best borscht is offered at a premium price several days after it is made so that the color and flavors deepen. Try this simple borscht recipe named for Tom Robbin’s Jitterbug Perfume, a book that truly romances the beet.
Devil's food cake made with beets
Speaking of romatic beets, a devil’s food cake benefits from both the color and earthy flavor of beets. This vegan cake recipe depends on beets, carrots, and apples for texture and flavor.
Cooking beets may seem daunting, but there are several easy ways. My favorite is to pressure cook them for 15-20 minutes. Another way is to oven roast them at 450 degrees until they are fork tender. Using either of these methods, be sure to leave the taproot on and also about an inch of the stems so the nutrients stay inside the root. When the beets are cool, the skins should slip off easily. Now you are ready to make a delicious beet salad, pickled beets, or just add a pat of butter and enjoy!
Make a simple beet salad with a dressing of: 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and black pepper. Dress 5 cups greens and 1/4 cup minced shallot. Gently fold in 2 medium size, cooked beets that have been sliced into 1 inch pieces. Sprinkle the salad with Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese.
Red Jewel Salad
If you don’t have beets in your garden, stop at Ashland Food Co-op for High Hoe Produce or Barking Moon Farm beets. Think of beets as a two for one choice. You have the greens to saute with garlic and the roots to make a salad or soup.
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Pingback by Ashland Food Co-op - Blog » Why Beets Bleed August 14, 2009 @ 9:01 pm