Gingered BeetsUh-oh. Someone wants my recipe for "gingered beets". Our friend The Allison very kindly says "it remains the only enjoyable experience I've ever had with beets".
The pressure!
Trouble is, I don't keep recipes. In fact, I don't even remember making 'gingered beets'. Ginger? With beets? Sounds do-able. Usually, I read a few (dozen) variants on a theme and then use whatever is in the 'fridge to approximate a half-remembered version of something I may not have actually seen. That's what happens when you've got a backlog of greens and the root vegetables are popping out of the crisper. As
Mary might say,
the box is winning!
So, Allison, best I can do is tell you the recipe that I nearly always use for beets (and sometimes for turnips):
- Trim off greens and roots (you can saute the greens, just like a light kale!)
- Peel beets (apparently you can steam/roast them and the skins 'just slip right off'. I've always just peeled 'em with a peeler).
- Cut into small cubes
- Heat a small saute pan with a good amount of olive oil (you want one layer of beets)
- Toss beets around for a little sizzle
- Pour in enough water so that it reaches about half-way up the beets
- Cover and cook at medium-high heat under the water is evaporated (listen for the hiss to turn to a sizzle)
- Uncover, stir until the outside of the beets are crispy
- Season with fresh ground pepper, some good salt, and... minced fresh herbs. Whatever you've got in the garden. Or some dried herbs. Basil, maybe. Or an Italian mix.
2nd part of the quiz: "What does one serve with the beets?"
Well, personally, I think ham or pork. A nice honey ham slice and corn on the cob or maybe a pork tenderloin with a side of stuffing. But that doesn't fly at the Vegetarian Bungalow. So, how about a salad?:
Mix beets, goat cheese, baby salad greens and chopped roasted walnuts into a salad bowl just moments before serving. Drizzle with a Italian vinaigrette, serve with thick sliced, toasted and buttered, whole grain bread.
Some randomly chosen recipes:
Roasted beetsBeet and goat cheese saladTwo Small Farms recipe
page for beetsBut really, planning a meal is so... pre-Internets. Here's
a fun thing when you've got 3 ingredients and no inspiration.
AND random searches for vegetable info gets you a quote from Tom Robbins:
"The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious."
Bonus points!
