The Pipers went out to a nice restaurant the other night, and one of the vegetables was slices of something that looked like beets, and tasted like beets, but were a lovely golden colour. I’ve always thought of beets as blood red - are there such things as golden beets?
Also, I’ve never been found of beets, having been introduced to them via canned beets, and then suffered through too many university cafeteria meals where massive lumps of beets were shovelled onto the plate, oozing reddish-purple juices, having just been boiled through and through for the past two or three hours, apparently. And don’t even get me started on the jellified “harvard beets” that some uni cafeterias served as an alternative, even though something that sweet should never be on a main course.
But these sliced beets (if that’s what they were) were a delightful alternative. They were round slices, about the size of a dollar pancake, and the beet taste wasn’t overpowering or cloying. I’d like to try cooking some beets that way. I don’t think they were pan-fried, and they had a nice delicate sauce.
There’s not that much difference in flavor (to me) between red and gold beets if they’re cooked right (roast 'em with a little olive oil, salt and (IMO) a tiny, tiny pinch of sugar)
They taste almost like really good corn on the cob to me, if I had to compare the flavor–they taste nothing like the canned beets.
They are lovely. A little milder in flavor I think; less of that dark musty taste that makes beets, um, beety. Although I acknowledge the possibility that the flavor difference is due to the placebo effect of the color.
Find em tiny, and roast em whole. Stick em in your mouth and eat em.
I agree with Fenris. They’re yummy roasted with a bit of oil.
For an interesting alternative, this hummus is delicious:
Beetroot Hummus
Ingredients
2 beetroot (approx 350g), trimmed and washed
400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
a quarter of a cup of tahini*
a third of a cup of lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, crushed
sea salt and cracked black pepper
two and a half tablespoons of olive oil
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is available from supermarkets and health food stores. Use the light-coloured hulled variety, as it has a milder flavour.
Place beetroot in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 45 minutes or until very tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Slip off the skins, rinse and chop.
Place beetroot in the bowl of a food processor and process until roughly chopped. Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Gradually pour in olive oil, processing until smooth. Serve with Turkish bread.
Yum… beets in any colour are a favourite at Chez Mahna.
We’re lucky to have a farmer’s market close to home during the summer/fall months, and one of the stands sells all sorts of crazy-coloured beets when they’re in season… I’ve tried the long skinny sugar beets, golden beets, and even striped candy cane beets. To be honest, they all taste pretty much the same to me (though the sugar beets were slightly sweeter than the regular).
What does make a difference in flavour is the cooking method, and I refuse to cook my beets any way roasting. Just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with lots of salt and pepper, add a sprig of two of thyme if you have 'em, wrap tightly in foil, and then throw in a 375F oven for about an hour. Once they’re cooled to room temp, the skin should slide right off with a little encouragement from a sharp knife.
All a good roast beet needs is a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (and maybe some crumbled goat cheese, if you’re feeling fancy).
BTW, beet greens are edible and quite delicious in their own right - if you happen to buy your beets with the tops still attached, look for a bunch that has crisp, full, leafy tops. They’re quite similar to swiss chard, but a little more earthy in flavour. Saute with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice… nom nom nom.
