Dan and I started getting a box of fruits and vegetables through a CSA about two months ago. They offer a few different kinds and sizes of boxes. We get what they call their “regular” box which gets a good mix of fruits and vegetables of all types. I wanted to try the “regular” box because it would challenge us not only to eat vegetables we might not normally buy but also learn to cook them (there is also the “mostly fruit” box that tends to be the easier to eat out of hand fruits and vegetables… more tomatoes and fewer greens for example). Our boxes have included things like swiss chard, mushrooms, and beets. It’s not that I dislike any of these things, they just aren’t things I think of when at the farmers’ market or grocery store. Mushrooms have become a new favorite for us since the CSA forced us to do something with a bag of creminis.
Anyway, to make a long story short, we’ve gotten beets in two of the last four boxes. The first time, I just roasted them and we ate them in salads. But this time I wanted to try something different. You know what? The internet is an amazing place. Between general searches for beets and light questioning on twitter, here are the beet recipes I have collected so far…
- Roasted beet bruschetta from Serious Eats
- Beet roesti from Dianasaur Dishes
- Grilled candied beets from Woman with a Whisk
- Harvest cake with goat cheese frosting from The Kitchn
- Chocolate and roasted beet pudding cakes from Cannelle et Vanille
- Pickled beets recipe from the Spice House
- A different recipe for pickled beets from Simply Recipes
- Dark chocolate and beet brownies from La Tartine Gourmande
- Thomas Keller’s Red Beet Ice Cream from White on Rice Couple
I’m sure I could dig up more recipes for the list, but this is already an overwhelming array of options. I’m still not sure what to do with the beets, though I am leaning toward pickling… What do you think? Do you have any favorite beet recipes?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m glad you found my beet roesti. It really is our favorite way to eat them, and pretty simple to make. I guess it’s kind of like beet hash browns. Hope you enjoy them :)
@Diana – Thanks :) I’m glad I found it too. I think this might be way to actually get the kids to eat some beets too. I’ll have to try it.
You might also enjoy what Scandinavian recipes for beets (I always hated beets as a kid but grew up to love them). Check out the “Kitchen of Light” cookbook by Andreas Viestad (Norwegian) and also Marcus Samuelsson’s (Swedish) “Aquavit” cookbook (I took a class in NYC with MS – every course had beets…from the granite starter through to the dessert). My fave is beet “carpaccio” with fried brie on a bed of greens – the beet is simmered in star anise, cloves, cinnamon, orange juice,…and other yummy spices.
@Brit – oh, that sounds lovely… I love star anise. I’ll have to look for those cookbooks.
Love the new site! I would love to coax the beet salad with vinegrette recipe out of this restaurant’s owner. http://www.culinaryspecialists.com/mulvaneyBL.htm
Thanks Vicki. I bet if you ask someone from the wait staff you could at least find out most of the ingredients. I’ve done that before and then played around with ratios at home.
I normally just roast beets and eat them in salads too, but I think the Harvest Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting sounds absolutely delish! I definitely think you should try that recipe…especially since it’s fall time. :)
Yeah, I really am curious about the harvest cake. I think the thing that got me was the goat cheese frosting… I love goat cheese. I may try this before fall is over.