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beets for good taste, good health
Jan 14, 09
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
My
Eastern European grandmother, true to the stereotype, loved
beets and served them often. Why? She thought they contributed
to healthy blood.
I love beets’ earthy flavor and crisp-but-soft cooked
texture. Given the homey reputation beets have had for generations,
it’s interesting today to witness their adoption by
high society.
At high-end restaurants, for example, beets are a favorite
menu item. One recent example I was lucky enough to sample:
heirloom pink-and-white variegated beets, sliced thinly, marinated
and rolled into rosettes, served with a thick, sweet beet
sauce or coulis.
Simple or gourmet, beets are worth a try.
Nutritionally, they’re hard to, uh, beat. Beet roots
are rich in health-supporting phytochemicals including folate,
manganese, potassium and vitamin C.
They’re a decent source of dietary fiber.
And beet greens are edible, too. Cook them as you would Swiss
chard. The greens are rich in vitamins A, C and K, potassium
and a range of other minerals.
Other beet basics:
* They come in many varieties. Colors include deep red-purple,
golden yellow, orange, pink and white.
* Beets are versatile. Fresh beets are in season from June
through October (though we can get them year-round in supermarkets).
Canned or bottled, pickled beets are nutritious and convenient.
Beets can be served cooked or raw, hot or cold.
* Beet juice is a natural dye. It turns hands and dish towels
red. If beets touch other foods, they will color them pink.
Don’t be alarmed by red urine or stools after eating
beets. It’s not harmful but may take you by surprise.
* Beets are low in calories and naturally sweet. That’s
why they’re used for making refined sugar.
Most important, though, is that beets are easy to prepare.
The easiest way is roasting. Lightly scrub fresh beets and
cut the greens off an inch or so above the root.
Wrap whole beets in aluminum foil and bake them in a hot oven
for 30 minutes for small beets or up to an hour for large
beets, until tender.
Alternatively, place whole beets in a baking dish, add a quarter
inch of water, cover and follow the same instructions for
baking. Whole beets can be similarly prepared by boiling in
water until tender.
Whichever way you cook whole beets, leave the skins on. Once
the beets are cool enough to handle, slip the peels off as
you would the peel on a cooked sweet potato.
There are lots of ways to eat beets. Here are a few ideas
to get you started:
* Toss cooked, sliced beets with your favorite vinaigrette
dressing and chill before serving. Pickled beets, the traditional
favorite, are made in a similar way using vinegar, oil, a
little sugar, and often some sliced onions.
* Drizzle olive oil or balsamic vinaigrette dressing over
hot or cold, whole, roasted beets.
* Grate raw beets. Add them to salads or use them as a garnish
with other foods.
* Combine cooked beets with other root vegetables. Fix roasted
roots – potatoes, turnips, carrots, beets – by
drizzling balsamic vinegar over chunks of whole roots and
cooking them in a hot oven until tender.
* Eat the greens. Steam or sauté fresh beet greens
as you would any other green. I like to cook greens in a pan
with olive oil, minced garlic and onions, and soy ginger sauce.
Fresh beets will keep in the refrigerator crisper compartment
for a couple of weeks. Store them unwashed with the greens
cut off about two inches from the beet root.
Beet greens can be stored in the refrigerator wrapped loosely
in a damp cloth or paper towel or in a plastic bag.
If you’re looking for a way to add more nutrient-rich
veggies to your diet this year, it’s hard to beat beets.
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