ROAST BEETROOT AND THEIR GREENS

Okay, I know you may say yuck...you hate beetroot...Well I hate canned veggies also!!!  Okay so lets start over...How many of you cook your beets and then have the pleasure of serving them in a multitude of ways???  Well lets start now!!! Lets go to our farmers market and ask for the beets...red ones, candy striped ones, orange ones... wonderfully delicious one and all...

HOW TO COOK BEETROOT:

I like to put my oven at medium heat  and put washed beets( not the beet greens, just the beetroot) in a shallow pan with a few ounces of water, a few shakes of pepper, a  pinch of salt, and a couple bay leafs...cover with foil and toss them  in the oven for an hour( depending on size of beets) and take out when a small knife penetrates into the root easily.

WOW that was easy.  So what to do with our cooked beets, besides first peeling them with either a sharp knife, or a dry towel to rub the peel off ( this towel will be stained, so don't use a fav tea towel!!!)

I like to take my beetroot and cook it with their own greens for a tasty accompaniment to the broiled mackerel recipe from the last blog post or in numerous other ways I will describe at the end of this blog...

PREP

4 beetroot, roasted, peeled and large dice

Beetroot greens, washed and separated leaves( large slices) from stalks( diced small)

1 red onion, washed, peeled and thin sliced

2 clove garlic, fine dice

2 T ginger, fine dice

1 T Fennel seed

4 ounces white wine ( or vegetable broth)

1T vegetable oil

s,p

Zest and juice of one lime

EVOO

Fresh coriander ( cilantro)

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and then add oil.
   
2. Sweat onion, garlic, and ginger till softened and add a splash  of water or white wine if it starts to stick ( This is a way to decrease your oil consumption and lower your fat intake)
   
3. Add fennel seed and let brown for 1 minute
   
4. Add diced beet root stems ( not leaves) and wine ( or vegetable broth)and cook down for 3-4 minutes
   
5. Add diced beet root and let cook for five minutes till liquid is fully evaporated.
   
6. Add beet greens and toss till wilted.
   
7. Finish dish with zest and juice of lime, salt, fresh ground pepper, a drizzle of EVOO, and fresh herbs.
   

MORE DISHES TO WASH
As stated earlier, this is a great paring with the Mackerel dish from my previous blog entry.  

One can really make a meal of this by serving this alongside some refried white beans ( as in the picture above), and cumin lime brown rice.

Of course one can always cool the roasted beetroot, and after peeling simply slice them thinly and serve with some nice goat or feta cheese, fresh salad greens and a herb lemon vinaigrette.

Lets not forget borscht...the cold or hot, pureed or not, meaty or vegetarian soup that no soup can compare to in terms of colour and flavour!!!  

Did I mention I love beetroot...the colour, flavour, texture, ability to adapt to all seasons...how they are never forgotten( yes the stains are there as reminders on the wall!!!)...so please, support your local farmer, buy fresh beetroot ( not canned, not cryovacked pre cooked) and enjoy!!!