Cooking Beets & Beet Greens

I used to hate beets. 
They just seemed weird.  Now I'm
married to a man who loves them, so on occasion, I'm feeling kind enough to
make beets just for him.  But along the
way, I started liking them too.  I've
found they're best when prepared simply, and delicious when you cook the greens
that are attached.  Avoid ruby palms by
peeling the beets before cooking, unlike recipes that suggest the reverse.  You'll still get a little red, but it rinses
off easily.  They do take a while to cook,
so plan for that.  I recently saw Sara
Moulton make them by grating the beets first so she could sauté them quickly.  Ingenious, but I'm not getting my food processor
out just for that.  I can sit around and
have a glass of wine while I wait for them to boil, proving that sometimes it's
good to be slow.

 

Beets & Greens

• 1 bunch of beets, greens attached


• 1/2 medium onion, chopped


• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil


• Splash red wine vinegar

Remove and reserve greens. 
Peel beets and cut into bite-sized chunks.  Put beets into a pot of boiling water, and
cook until tender, about 40 minutes. 
Meanwhile, wash and chop greens. 
When beets are cooked, drain.  Add
olive oil to the pot and sauté onion and greens with red-wine vinegar about 5
minutes.  Return beets to pot.  Season with salt and pepper.

Comments

[Heather]

I've found the best way to maintain super concentrated beet-y flavor and to keep hands clean is to trim and wash the beets, wrap in foil, and roast until tender but not mushy. Remove foil carefully, cool to handle, and the skins slip right off. The beets taste very earthy and topping them with the greens and a light dressing - perfect! Also look for yellow beets. A salad of mixed greens, roasted beets, walnuts and a little cheese is beautiful and delicious!