Today is the dreaded day. Facing my fear of beets. I don’t know if I had some traumatic day in my youth with beets, but I don’t remember it if there was. So far as I know I have never ate cooked beets before. They look gross and I have some imagined way they might taste. Now many years ago I did get a beet in one of those produce delivery boxes. I whimped out and cut raw into small dices and used then in a tossed salad the way you would a radish. It is fine raw.
This year at the farmers markets I go to I want to challenge myself to try things I never had before. This time of year at the farmers markets in Wisconsin there aren’t a lot of pickings yet, but there I was faced with beets. I wasn’t ready yet. But the vendor lady was so sweet and we started talking. She had never had a beet raw before. So we made a deal, that she would try a beet raw and I would try one cooked. She sold them in groups of three. She gave me a bunch with three different kinds. I forgot to get her name and tell here it would be two weeks before I would be back as I will be out of town this weekend. First recipe was my wimp recipe and the second one was roasting a traditional beet in the oven and eating it simply.
One friend suggested root vegetable hash. Was a lovely delicious choice, though using a variety of vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, in addition to the beets, so nothing, but maybe the white potatoes really stands out. I have no regrets. I used that little orange black tool that turns my veggies into matchsticks. The onions I thinly sliced and the beets I had to matchstick by hand. I then mixed them all in a bowl with oil and spices. After that I put them on a sheet tray and put into a 350° F oven stirring every 10 minutes for a half hour. Next time I may leave it in for 20 minutes, stir, then leave in 20 minutes. I wasn’t following a recipe. I put a serving full, maybe one cup, on the stove top (put the rest in the fridge to cook later), to finish crisping up. I then put a fried egg on top. Super good.
Now to face my ultimate fear. Eating a cooked beet. One of those one everyone eats and seems to love. I roasted it in the oven in foil for 45 minutes at 400°F. I cut it into fours to make it easier to remove the skin. It isn’t as bad as I thought but I still don’t like it. At least I tried. I am sure many will say but try it this way or that way, but for now at least, I am not motivated. Maybe we can revisit it next year. Or maybe not. But I still like the sautéed beet greens.
Rainy Saturday Creative 