While beets are best known for the sweet, red root, their dark green leaves are edible and shouldn't be wasted. They make an excellent side dish and can be used in place of Swiss chard, spinach or collard greens. Unlike collards like kale and mustard greens, you do not have to blanch beet greens before cooking.
They really are simple to prepare and good to eat and healthy too.
Selection: When making your purchase look for bunches that have relatively the same size beet root. This aids uniform cooking. However, this is not always easy to find but do the best you can. Make sure the leaves are not too wilted and look moist and fresh. I prefer bunches with medium sized beet roots or even smaller ones, but the latter is perhaps more work for less result.
Storage: When you get the beets home, the first thing you must do is cut the leafy stems from the beet root. They should be stored separately. Cut the stems just an inch above the root and wrap them loosely with barely damp paper towels and refrigerate them in your vegetable drawer in an open plastic bag. Keep the roots stored in a separate open plastic bag. While the roots will hold for several weeks like this, plan to make the beet greens within 48 hour of purchase.
Preparation: I previously discussed the roasting of beets, which is my favorite way. So today I'm talking only about how to prepare the beet greens, and these I always sauté. To prepare the greens, cut off the tough non-leafy part of the stems. For very large leaves with a large vein of stem, you may remove that as well or leave it in place. It is high in fiber and edible but a bit chewy as it will take longer to become tender than the leaves will to cook. Wash the leaves in cold water to remove any dirt. Spin or pat to remove excess moisture. For very large leaves, tear them into the size of the smaller, more tender leaves.
Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small minced shallot (optional)
3-4 bunches of beet greens, cleaned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
pinch of sugar
pinch of red pepper flakes
pine nuts (optional)
Cooking: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. I use my ceramic wok for this purpose, but any good skillet will do preferably with a non-stick surface. Add the garlic and/or shallot and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the greens and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir in the vinegar and a very small pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until coated and tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Stir in the optional pine nuts. Serve warm.
They really are simple to prepare and good to eat and healthy too.
Selection: When making your purchase look for bunches that have relatively the same size beet root. This aids uniform cooking. However, this is not always easy to find but do the best you can. Make sure the leaves are not too wilted and look moist and fresh. I prefer bunches with medium sized beet roots or even smaller ones, but the latter is perhaps more work for less result.
Storage: When you get the beets home, the first thing you must do is cut the leafy stems from the beet root. They should be stored separately. Cut the stems just an inch above the root and wrap them loosely with barely damp paper towels and refrigerate them in your vegetable drawer in an open plastic bag. Keep the roots stored in a separate open plastic bag. While the roots will hold for several weeks like this, plan to make the beet greens within 48 hour of purchase.
Preparation: I previously discussed the roasting of beets, which is my favorite way. So today I'm talking only about how to prepare the beet greens, and these I always sauté. To prepare the greens, cut off the tough non-leafy part of the stems. For very large leaves with a large vein of stem, you may remove that as well or leave it in place. It is high in fiber and edible but a bit chewy as it will take longer to become tender than the leaves will to cook. Wash the leaves in cold water to remove any dirt. Spin or pat to remove excess moisture. For very large leaves, tear them into the size of the smaller, more tender leaves.
Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small minced shallot (optional)
3-4 bunches of beet greens, cleaned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
pinch of sugar
pinch of red pepper flakes
pine nuts (optional)
Cooking: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. I use my ceramic wok for this purpose, but any good skillet will do preferably with a non-stick surface. Add the garlic and/or shallot and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the greens and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir in the vinegar and a very small pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until coated and tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Stir in the optional pine nuts. Serve warm.
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