I love beets. Ideas?

[QSis]

... they are too much of a pain to prepare fresh.

I actually think canned beets are pretty darned good, but I rarely think of getting them. When I do, I just heat them up in a pan, drain, then mix them with a little butter and balsamic vinegar.

Anyone have any other ideas? They are SO good for you!

Lee

 

[HanArt]

They're good in lettuce salads too.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Nothing wrong with canned beets I like to put a couple of cans in the fridge so they are ready when I need them and then eat them on a salad

 

[luvs]

how 'bout Harvard beets?

 

[crewsk]

Here's the recipe I use for Havrard beets. I have made it with fresh & canned with equal success. http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8604&highlight=Harvard+Beets

 

[Andy M.]

I will express my opinion of beets in a calm and measured manner.


Beets - YUCK!!!



...and furthermore,

 

[middie]

lmao andy i have to agree. sorry guys

 

[luvs]

oh, i hate beets, too, lol. just suggesting something. (there are 3 things i hate. uncooked bell pepper, beets, and pickled pig's feet.)
another thing: my Parents soak canned beets, liquid and all, in white vinegar with sliced white onion.

 

[HanArt]

another thing: my Parents soak canned beets, liquid and all, in white vinegar with sliced white onion.

My mom used to do that with hard boiled eggs. Delicious!!!

 

[luvs]

i've had those rosy pickled eggs before, hanart. can't say i'm a fan, but i love eggs pickled in white vinegar and garlic. they sell them at the bar and at the beer distributor, but i figured, why pay? so i swiped the recipe from a jar of Penrose ones and made my own.

 

[sarah]

smon guys beets are not that bad,infact i like them a lot.I make beet bhaji with cubed beef and lots of green chilies and eat it with pita bread,its delicious!

 

[Ishbel]

I like beetroot as a side dish for cold meats. Slice into thin slices, add a little orange juice and the zest of an orange. Chill before serving.

Or beetroots also an interesting change from potato chips(English french fries!) or crisps (potato chips?) I do this with parsnips, too.

Approx 1 pt sunflower oil to deep fry the crisps/chips
couple of beetroot, peeled and either sliced or chipped
200ml/7fl oz Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Heat the vegetable oil in large saucepan or deep fryer. Drop the beetroot chips/crisps into the oil and deep-fry until crispy.
Remove chips or crisps from oil and drain on kitchen paper.
Prepare a dip for the crisps by combing the yoghurt and chives.
Place the dip and crisps in bowls and serve.

 

[buckytom]

i love beets, all kinds prepared different ways. my faves are pickled and sliced on salads, boiled and shredded with fresh horseradish, julienned and fried with malt vinegar, cubed or baby beets boiled, peeled, and served cold with farmers cheese and rye bread. hmmm, i'm sure there's some ways i've forgotten, but suffice it to say i could eat them every day.

a cool thing to do is put some (shelled) hard boiled eggs in the leftover brine from pickled beets overnight. they come out neat shades of reds, pinks, and purples.

 

[Claire]

I buy canned all the time. Spouse does not like them. A very favorite is to drain and slightly rinse them, the pop them into a jar of "pickle" juice from any jar I particularly liked -- sweet, sour, dill, kosher -- all taste good. I was rather surprised (since it is a "love 'em or hate 'em thing with beets) at how quickly they went when I added some to a relish tray (this is best with little whole beets, people pick them up with a toothpick). Sometimes I add a whole dried hot pepper to the jar. I also like to buy a can of juilenned ones, drain and add to a composed salad (tossed, of course, they'll turn it all red); really good with a creamy type dressing.

 

[Ishbel]

Are American beetroots just in brine? Most in the UK are pickled in malt vinegar or in vinegar and sweetened...

 

[Michael in FtW]

I picked this idea up from a little restaurant in Austin, TX back about 1972 or so when I was in college there ... don't remember if it was the Polish or Russian one. Both had a similar dish - one used pickled beets, the other used plain beets. I prefer the flavor contrast with the sour cream using pickled - but the plain beets are okay, too.

1 Jar (or can) pickled beets - quartered, cubed or sliced
2-3 Tablespoons butter
1/4-1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Pinch of Salt

Bring the beets to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until heated through (about 5-6 minutes). Drain all but about 1 Tablespoon of juice and add butter and salt. Stir to melt butter and coat the beets. Add the sour cream and stir to coat the beets.

You can also do this in a microwave ... put the beets in a microwave safe dish, cover with plastic wrap and poke a couple of holes in the plastic wrap to allow steam to escape. Heat on high for 2-3 minutes and then allow to sit for a couple of minutes before unwrapping and proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Of course, the way they did it in the restaurants was using fresh beets and cooking them till just fork tender/tender-crisp. It's a lot more trouble - but the texture is worth it if you have the time. Depending on brand - canned beets (in tin cans) tend to be softer than the ones in jars.

 

[buckytom]

that's the stuff michael. the flavor contrasts with beets and things like sour cream or farmers cheese, with a hunk o' bread is amazing. subtle but incredible.

ishbel, from my experience (not that i could possibly speak for my entire country), most americans have beets that are pickled in a sweetened brine. i have made them in sweet, spicy hot, and just straight salt brines, but i must say that i enjoy them fresh (boiled and skinned) just as much. i am lucky enough that dw has eastern european heritage that includes many fresh beet recipes and i wish more people would try them that way. imo, beets have a delicate earthy quality in the same vein as mushrooms...

 

[Ishbel]

BT
Thanks for the info.

I love fresh beetroot, too. I have an old saucepan that is used only for boiling beetroots. It is a strange murky colour - but as it is only a cheap pan, I don't mind!

 

[luvs]

michael and bucky, betcha they wouldn't be half bad in FRESH cream! i might even like those...
....nah. i doubt it!

 

[IcyMist]

I absolutely love pickled beets that have been pickled in white vinegar, not those icky ones that they drown in sugar and whatever else they put in them. shudder.

Also nothing better than adding beets to a salad, yummmmmmmmmm.