You all seem to be such proficient chefs. Well here is a place to share some of that cooking knowledge. Or do you have a cooking problem? Ask away. Jams and chutneys go here too.
I often bake mine when the oven is on for something else, whether I'm eating them as they are or pickling them,.
They also make the most fantastic coloured mash if you mash together 1/2 cooked beetroot and 1/2 cooked potato- BRIGHT pink Tastes good too, especially with sausages or game.
eaten raw (grated) they combine well with orange/yogurt/sour cream (not all at the same time...)
No, no - you are right, and I do sometimes stick in a beetroot or something else for roasting when I do some baking anyway. I usually half cook the stuff first, though, because generally the veg takes much longer than the bread and cakes I'm baking.
And if we are still looking for things to do with beetroot, our usual at home was a cooked beetroot salad; and it can also be added to potato salad (nice and pink).
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
I wash them, cut off the ends and boil or steam. If they are larger, then I cut them into pieces. I don't peel them unless the skins are particularly yucky. If I boil them, then I drink the cooking water after it cools.
If I want to make beet pickles, I just put the cooked beets in a clean jar, then pour white vinegar over them and add a pinch of sea salt. If you wanted them sweet, you could add some sugar. I use organic, evaporated cane juice when making them for those who like them sweet. I let the jar of beets in vinegar sit on the counter a few hours. Then, put the lid on it and put it in the refrigerator. They taste good the next day, but better after a week.
My mother makes them by a more complicated process, but I find this method works just fine. I use it for cucumbers and beans, too.
If eating the cooked beets when they are hot, I like butter or roasted sesame seed oil on them. Sour cream is also nice. Some like various salad dressings.
I like them with wild rice, or lemon-tahini dressing.
I use cold cooked beets on salads or just stab them with a fork and eat them.
Two warnings: beet juice stains badly. And, eating lots of them can have a laxative effect.
LBR wrote:
Two warnings: beet juice stains badly. And, eating lots of them can have a laxative effect.
And may cause your OH to panic when changing a toddlers nappy after they've eaten lots of them
You may also consider phoning your GP for a moment the next day after visiting the loo, before remembering you ate several beetroots the previous day...
I scrubbed them and popped them in the pressure cooker with the spuds the other night.
when cooked took out the beets and imediatly popped in cold water, after a few minutes picked up and gently squeezed/rubbed the skin off, was amazed at how easy it was - won;t be bothhering to peel before cooking in future
Then cut into wedges anddid the oil and roasting thing. Hubbys first time trying them and he liked them! ( he used to be worse than the boys for eating veg!)
You can microwave them in a fraction of the baking time - can't remember what the timing was particularly but I seem to remember it was closer to 10 minutes with a couple of tablespoons of water which for me was far better than the hours and hours of boiling/baking (don't know the relative energy requirements though!)
I'm not a big fan of it pickled, always just tastes of vinegar to me, but perhaps my mum was never adventurous enough with the pickling spices!
For recipes though, I love the red flannel hash in Sophie Grigson's 'eat your greens'. Delicious, and beloved of the whole family!
"If you want to catch a loon, you have to think like a loon"
Tastes good too, especially with sausages or game.
