# Beets



## boomchakabowwow (Mar 22, 2018)

i have been on a beet kick for a very long time.

i still get a very adolescent kick out of dyeing all my biological functions a shocking red color. hehe..

i just discovered for a beet salad..the ebony and ivory: roasted beets with salty olives as a salad. they play awesome together. i drizzled the olive brine over the rocket hot beets and it sucked in some of the brininess.

any great beet salads out there?


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## YG420 (Mar 22, 2018)

beets bears battlestar galactica


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## Jovidah (Mar 22, 2018)

Roast beets. Add dark chocolate sauce with some thyme in it. Win.


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## YG420 (Mar 22, 2018)

Sorry, i had to do it. But seriously i like them straight out of the can


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## laxdad (Mar 22, 2018)

Mix in some yellow/golden beets along with the usual red ones. The yellow/golden variety are a bit sweeter and less "beety" tasting than red. My wife loves going to a local pizza place just for their beet salad (beets, bitter greens, vinaigrette, pine nuts).

I would never touch beets as a kid. Probably because the elementary school cafeteria served it for lunch every week and it looked gross. I must have been 30 before I actually tried one. Flavor reminded me of baby corn, which I love.


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## HRC_64 (Mar 22, 2018)

dunno if its cliche, but a simple beat salad is great

Fresh beets, (see note)
bleu cheese (see note)
walnuts, chopped
mixed greens
DIY vinaigrette

note: 
beets - yellow or red or combination, boiled, peeled, cooled @ room temp
cheese - you can geek out on the cheese if you want
dressing - whatever your fancy or in season to accent

side:
grilled or toasted 
baguette


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## erickso1 (Mar 22, 2018)

I actually just had lunch. Golden Beats pressure cooked in the Instant Pot last night, little salt, little pepper. With a hunk of roasted Char Siu. It just hits the spot, is easy to heat up at work and tastes great.


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## Jovidah (Mar 22, 2018)

If you're using them raw, choggia beets look really awesome. Don't bother using them cooked or roasted tho; the colors won't be as crisp so it's a waste.
Using them roasted I prefer to just stick to the red ones. It looks nice when you mix it up colorwise, but IMO tastewise the red ones are just best. Kinda like with carrots; it looks appealing mixing in yellow and purple carrots...but plain orange ones are still king when it comes to taste. Call me a veggieracist...


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## chinacats (Mar 22, 2018)

I like them raw almost as much as roasted..


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## Xenif (Mar 22, 2018)

I like them pickled, to go with really rich food melty meats like slow roasted pork belly


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## sachem allison (Mar 23, 2018)

I make energy drink for the kitchen with them.


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## panda (Mar 23, 2018)

i like best plain roasted with olive oil salt pepper and some herbs like thyme + tarragon + chives
on a salad goes really well with a tangy sweet dressing like raspberry vinaigrette


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## DevinT (Mar 23, 2018)

They taste like dirt to me. 

Hoss


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## MontezumaBoy (Mar 23, 2018)

Even Golden or Candy-Cane-Striped (Chioggia)? I do the same as Panda / simple roast with S&P, Olive oil wrapped in tin oil ... let cool / rinse skin off under cold water then use either hot or cold. Not a fan of Red beets ...



DevinT said:


> They taste like dirt to me.
> 
> Hoss


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## boomchakabowwow (Mar 23, 2018)

DevinT said:


> They taste like dirt to me.
> 
> Hoss



true. i would say they taste "earthy"

just like how an oyster taste "oceany" 

man,, if i had a piss/drug test today, the tester would call 911 at the color of my urine.


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## Ragustoriches (Mar 28, 2018)

I personally like to braise them in olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, a sachet of herbs and water to cover. Then when they are done, add a little sugar to the cooking liquid, strain it, and you have a nice beet vinaigrette.


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## mille162 (Mar 28, 2018)

Peel red and golden beets into 1.5 cubes. Cut up fennel bulb into similar size. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle lightly toasted anise seeds. Roast 350F/45m. Once cooled, enjoy chilled or reheat with fried eggs. Ive also used as the base for a potato salad like dish adding multi-colored fingerlings. Roasted sunchokes are also a great addition.


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## McMan (Mar 28, 2018)

Roasted beets, good salt, pistachios...
Roasted beets, good salt, nigella seeds...

Makes me realize I should eat more beets... I like the idea of adding roasted fennel.


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## McMan (Mar 28, 2018)

Otherwise, go old school New England--Red Flannel Hash!


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## boomchakabowwow (Mar 28, 2018)

mille162 said:


> Peel red and golden beets into 1.5 cubes. Cut up fennel bulb into similar size. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle lightly toasted anise seeds. Roast 350F/45m. Once cooled, enjoy chilled or reheat with fried eggs. Ive also used as the base for a potato salad like dish adding multi-colored fingerlings. Roasted sunchokes are also a great addition.



when i do mixed beets the dominant red color takes over all the other beets anyways. i know I've had them in restaurants where the different varieties are easily distinguished from each other. i'm doing something wrong.


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## DamageInc (Mar 28, 2018)

I've made roasted beet risotto a few times. Heavy, but quite tasty.


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## Jovidah (Mar 28, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> I've made roasted beet risotto a few times. Heavy, but quite tasty.



You haven't had heavy risotto until you made risotto with orange juice instead of stock, and white chocolate instead of the usual cheese / butter at the end... 
Oddly satisfying and yet the most heavy and filling experiment I ever made (I was going for a sweet dessert variety risotto). You'd eat 3 bites and you'd be stuffed to the brim. In the end I ended up 'diluting it down' by mixing it with ice cream to make it...lighter.


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## DamageInc (Mar 28, 2018)

That sounds awful.


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## HRC_64 (Mar 28, 2018)

boomchakabowwow said:


> when i do mixed beets the dominant red color takes over...i'm doing something wrong.



have you tried to batch cook 
and combine when cooled?


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## Jovidah (Mar 28, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> That sounds awful.



It actually tasted great. Was just heavy beyond anything I could have imagined.


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## timos (Mar 28, 2018)

i like to juice a beat along with ginger, apple and lime - good early am especially after a late night


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## Mucho Bocho (Mar 28, 2018)

Damage's recipe for beets is the best I've made (surprising I know). I used to do them in the pressure cooker but he's got me doing them in an open pot now. 

Sebastian show us your cards.


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## DamageInc (Mar 28, 2018)

I have a recipe for beets? What kind? Jog my memory.


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## Mucho Bocho (Mar 28, 2018)

Simple boil with aromatics but your recipe was cracklin. It friends out of neighbors and their still talking about them.


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## DamageInc (Mar 28, 2018)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Simple boil with aromatics but your recipe was cracklin. It friends out of neighbors and their still talking about them.



I'm gonna have to do a deep search for my own recipe post because I honestly can't remember that at all. You sure it wasn't for pickles?


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## erickso1 (Mar 28, 2018)

Im waiting with bated beet breath.


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## Mucho Bocho (Mar 28, 2018)

Yes pickles too. Thats for another thread.

Lets approach this different. Hey Damage whats a good way to cook beets?


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## panda (Mar 28, 2018)

i dont like tuna so substitute roasted beets in a poke bowl is also a great use


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## DamageInc (Mar 29, 2018)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Yes pickles too. Thats for another thread.
> 
> Lets approach this different. Hey Damage whats a good way to cook beets?



I can't find that recipe anywhere on the public boards. Starting to think I sent the recipe to you in a private message. Maybe a stretch, but do you still have any of my private messages in your inbox dating back to 2016? I can only find messages where we discuss a recipe, but not the actual recipe. Thinking I might have deleted that one.

If you don't have it, I guess I'll have to write it up again.


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## mille162 (Mar 29, 2018)

boomchakabowwow said:


> when i do mixed beets the dominant red color takes over all the other beets anyways. i know I've had them in restaurants where the different varieties are easily distinguished from each other. i'm doing something wrong.



You can roast them unpeeled (if larger, cut in 1/2 or 1/4), then easily peel once done. I prefer a smaller final cube so its harder to cut once roasted. To keep from leeching color, just keep red to one section of pan by themselves (or separate pan) and mix once cooled and ready to serve. Healthy coating of olive oil when done keeps the golden and sunchokes from picking up the color too


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## Jovidah (Mar 29, 2018)

I can't remember why anymore, but I've usually roasted them in aluminium foil in the oven. Would also solve your color contamination issue.


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## DamageInc (Apr 7, 2018)

After searching far and wide for my old beetroot pickle recipe to no avail, I'm just going to write it up according to how I roughly remember doing it. Hope this is close to the one I wrote up for Mucho a few years ago.

You will need:
2kg raw beetroot (round or long, doesn't matter)
800g apple cider vinegar
200g water
550-800 grams of (cane)sugar depending on how much sweetness you want. I tend to go for less sweet.
1-2 sticks of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 whole dried chili or to taste
2-3 whole star anise
12 whole peppercorns
1 teaspoon of whole cloves
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
2 juniper berries
salt to taste (I add quite a bit)
Optional: you can add cubes of ginger or horseradish to the brine if you want. I can't stop you. Some weirdos add orange juice and orange peel as well.

Rinse your beets for dirt. Don't peel them yet. Boil them for around 30 minutes or more, until tender, but not too tender. You don't want them to be mushy. They must have some bite to them, but not a raw bite. You know what I mean, just test with a knife. While the beets are boiling, assemble all the other ingredients for your brine. Bring to a boil, then leave to cool down slightly. Cool a tiny bit of it down really quickly in the freezer so you can give it a taste cold. Full flavor from spices shouldn't be expected, but you should still taste for sugar, acid, and salt.

Drain the water from the beets and let them cool a little before peeling off the skin, shouldn't be too difficult. Slice into chunky slices and divide the beets into the jars/containers you want to use. Pour the hot, but not boiling, brine over the beets until covered. If using multiple containers, try and evenly distribute the spices between them. Seal containers and place in fridge for a week or so to let the spices do their job. Then eat them with whatever your heart desires.


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## Thorndahl88 (Apr 7, 2018)

Quick beetroot recipe. 
Purre red beets ADD salt peber and fresh cuttet Thyme. Bake red beets with salt, like saltet cellery. 
Cool it Down
Pickle some yellow beets cut em in 5cm cubes or rings like normal pickled beets. 1/2 n1/2 water and apple winegaer. ADD 1/2 suger to that mix 3 Star anis 2 bayleaf 10 rosenpeber teespoon mustard seeds. 
Bring to a boil, ADD ur yellow beets, get it up to a boil and let it cool OFF. Use mandoline to make Them into fine slices. 

Plating: purre, saltet beets rucola or other bitter salad, fresh goat cheese, pickled yellow beets, honney roasted nutts, chervil mustard vinagrete or w/e u like.


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## chinacats (Apr 7, 2018)

As to the roasted beets, seems like everyone peels them? I peel them myself when using them raw and I can see that for pickling like in the above recipes but for roasting I just remove the hairy stuff and give then a good wash...I always figured that like many other things that the skins likely held the most nutrition?


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## HRC_64 (Apr 7, 2018)

No matter how much I clean,
there is always sand in the pot ! 

Aside from dirt,

I think the issue with beet peels
is bitteress, and avoiding the clash
with the sugars inside

but I'm sure there
are tricks to be learned


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## minibatataman (Apr 8, 2018)

I used to love beets way too much when i was kid. Ate a lot while being sick once and it didnt end well, the smell of them still mkaes me nauseous 15 years later. But you guys are encouraging me to try some of these recipes now


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

minibatataman said:


> I used to love beets way too much when i was kid. Ate a lot while being sick once and it didnt end well, the smell of them still mkaes me nauseous 15 years later. But you guys are encouraging me to try some of these recipes now



Maybe 12 years ago or so, I ate a dozen passion fruits in one sitting. Was sick for days afterwards with and I haven't eat them since. Maybe I should give them another shot.


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## Mucho Bocho (Apr 8, 2018)

Alright l haven't been able to resurface D Beet recipe. Still looking


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

I posted what I think is the recipe I wrote to you. It's on page 4.


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## Mucho Bocho (Apr 8, 2018)

Thats it! My plan is to hit the farmers market hard this week. Going to pick up 40 pounds of morning harvested NC pickling pickles. I love all pickles but in large batches I do naturally fermented dills


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## WYSkinny (Apr 8, 2018)

You can't beat beets.

I like the goldens roadtes with salt, pepper and evoo.


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