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Beets

Beets in Vinegar
This is a very simple way to prepare beets and very tasty. You can sure fancy it up a bit by adding blue cheese, toasted walnuts and serving it up on some fresh greens – maybe adding oil to the vinegar.

1 large red beet or several small ones
1 small onion sliced
½ cup vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and trim the beets. Boil in salted water until tender – this may take a while.
Drain the water and run cool water over the beets. Slip the peel off the beet and slice.
Combine with the onion and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Chilled Beet Soup

1-1/2 pound small or medium beets, well scrubbed
4 cloves garlic
3 strips (3 inches long) orange zest
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground white or black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-1/2 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth or water
2 teaspoons honey
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
a few teaspoons cream or water as needed
Fresh dill sprigs for garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 375. Put the beets and garlic on a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Scatter on the orange zest and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Fold up sides of foil and crimp to make a tight packet. Bake for 1 hour. Open the packet carefully and check that the beets are tender. If not, continue baking. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes. Rub skins off the beets and cut into chunks. Peel the garlic cloves, Discard the thyme and orange zest, saving any juices collected in the foil. Drop about one-third of the beets chunks, the garlic, and any collected juices into a blender. Add some of the chicken broth and the honey. Before turning on the blender vent the lid by removing the pop-out center if there is one, or just open the lid a bit, and drape a clean dish towel over the vented lid. Blend to a smooth puree and transfer to a bowl. Continue in batches, pureeing all the beets. Stir in the orange juice and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate to chill the soup thoroughly. Meanwhile, stir the horseradish into the sour cream. Add cream or water if necessary to bring to a consistency of lightly whipped cream. Refrigerate until serving time. To serve, ladle the soup into cups or bowls, and spoon a bit of the horseradish and sour cream onto each serving. Garnish with fresh dill, if you like.

Chocolate Beet Cake
a recipe from Sara Christiansen

3-ozs. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup cooking oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups pureed beets
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Melt chocolate with 1/4 cup oil. Cool slightly.
2. Beat sugar and eggs with mixer until light and
fluffy. Slowly beat in remaining 3/4 cup oil, beets,
chocolate, and vanilla.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly
add to batter, stirring well. Spoon into greased and
floured 12-cup bundt pan.
4. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes in pan.

I put a chocolate glaze over the top of this after it
cooled. To make that melt 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
and 4 Tbsp. butter (or heavy cream) in a sauce pan
over low heat. When completely melted remove from heat
and add 1-2 Tbsp brandy, rum, or any liquor of choice
(I used Godiva chocolate liquor). Pour immediately
over cooled cake.

Pickled Beets
1 lb beets, peeled
1 white onion sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar or to taste
1 Tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground all spice
Pinch of salt
Cook beets in sauce pan covered with water. Simmer until tender. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Let cool slightly. Cut the beets into ¼ “ slices. Add onion slices and garlic. In a sauce pan, combine 2 cups beet juice, vinegar, sugar, cardamom, cloves, all spice and salt. Heat long enough to dissolve sugar. Pour over beets.
Store beets in refrigerator.

Roasted Beet & Garlic Salad
from Aurelia Wills - adapted from Vegetarian Epicure

2 lbs. beets, preferably small
1 head garlic
¼ cup olive oil
salt to taste
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 Tablespoon minced onion
pepper to taste

Scrub and trim beets. Break garlic into cloves, but don't peel. Put beets into glass baking dish. Scatter garlic cloves around them. Add ½ cup of water, cover tightly and bake at 400 for one hour or until tender. Allow beets to cool slightly, then cut into slices or wedges. Squeeze out garlic cloves. Mash with fork, and add remaining ingredients. Toss with beets. Serve at room temperature.

Roasted Winter Vegetables
We have found that our favorite way to have celeriac is roasted with other vegetables. It’s mild, rich flavor is a nice addition to roasted vegetables. Peel its tough outer skin before cutting. Following is a basic recipe for any combination of winter veggies. Peeled garlic cloves are also a great thing to add.

6-8 cups winter vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, beets, winter squash, celeriac (peeled and cut in 1- inch pieces or slices ½ inch thick).
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano

Toss ingredients together (keep onions separate, as they will roast faster; add them to the pan 10 minutes into the baking time). Spread in a single layer on greased baking pans. Roast in a preheated oven at 425 until tender, 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.