Beets are really a two part ingredient it is made up of a fleshy bulb or root, and the course leaves which are similar to swiss chard. Today I’m going to focus on the preparation of the roots. This bright purple bulb is mildly sweet and has a great nutty undertone to their soft texture. It’s a perfect accompaniment to a spring salad, but is just as delicious when it stands alone.
Brief Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash and trim beets then wrap each loosely in aluminum foil.
3. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 min to 2 hours, depending on size.
4. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Peel skin and serve as desired.
Detailed Instructions:
To begin the process, you need to know how to choose beets when they are in the store. They are usually packaged in bunches of 3-4 stems. Each root should be approximately the same size, for even cooking. They should be dark purple in color and firm when squeezed, but not rock hard. Their surface should not have any deep gouges or scratches, it should appear unbroken. The leaves should be crisp and without discoloration or bruising.
Once you have your beets at home, trim the leaves about one inch above the base. Do not discard the leaves; they can be used in a variety of ways which I will discuss further in another post. Rinse the beets in cold water, to ensure no dirt remains; rub them with your fingers to clean, but don’t scrub them, you don’t want to break the skin because they’ll lose their juices while cooking that way.
Some beets have a long “tail” at their base, leave it in place for now; again you want to skin to be unbroken.
Once each beet is cleaned and trimmed, place it on a square if aluminum foil and wrap it very loosely. Place all the wrapped beets in a baking sheet and place them in a 400F oven.
The time it takes to cook them completely depends greatly on their size; I start with 30 minutes per inch of diameter. For example 4 beets with 2 ½” diameters would probably take about 60-90 minutes. If you’re roasting more than 4, they will take longer.
The easiest way to tell if a beet is done is to stab it with a fork or sharp knife, it should slide in easily. You can also squeeze them with a pair of tongs; it should feel soft, but not mushy.
When they are done cooking, remove the tray from the oven and let cool.
Once they are cool enough to handle; slide the skin and top stem off, they should come off easily. This is the time to trim any “tails” if you want.
They are now ready to serve. They can be sliced and served plain, or with a touch of salt and pepper. Or they can be cubed and tossed into a salad.
For other ideas, try some of these recipes:
No comments:
Post a Comment