Tuesday 14 July 2009

Just Beat It Beat It Beat It Beat It No One Wants To Be Defeated - Take 7

July beets! Mid-month! I am inordinately proud of myself for not leaving my July beets until the last day of the month. I don't need to eat beets again for ages.

I had a beet epiphany this month. Roasting vegetables brings out the natural sweetness and intensifies their flavours. The thing I hate most about beets is that they have this cloying sweetness to them. And I hate the flavour. So roasting beets enhances the two things I hate most about beets. And yet I continue to roast them. I'm actually a little ashamed that it took me this long to figure it out but hey, I never claimed to be a beet expert.

This month I boiled my beets with garlic and fresh ginger. When I drained the beets the water was dark purple. I obviously lost a lot of nutrients by cooking them this way but I also lost a lot of beet flavour, so I'd call that a win. After I drained the beets, I peeled them, chopped them, and tossed them with a little olive oil and lemon juice. We made giant salads with lots of other vegetables and fruits to mask the flavour of the beets.

Verdict: these are my favourite beets. I do not love them but I do not hate them. I could see myself eating these beets again. Not voluntarily, obviously.

I almost bought pickled beets last week but when I got up to the checkout the jar had opened and my basket was filled with lovely purple vinegar (and everything in my basket was covered in it.) I took it as a sign that I wasn't meant to eat pickled beets.

12 comments:

  1. Ick - beets can beat it out of my life. Every week we have produce delivered from a local farm and I hope beyond hope there are no beets!

    Your description of why you hate roasting beets reminds me why I love roasting (or grilling) peppers (red, yellow, orange). I don't love them raw, but throw them on the grill for a bit and they turn into a much sweeter treat!

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  2. You really should try pickled beets. If you hate the sweetness, it's a good option. Plus, they're awesome. (Then again, I'm a beet lover!)

    I would also suggest beet dip (middle eastern dip called pancar/panjar). Basically, you just blend cooked (or pickled beets), yoghurt, garlic, and lemon juice. I have no idea on the ratios, cos I always just play it by ear, but it always ends up good. And since it's a dip, you can put it with lots of other things to mask any beet-ness that isn't masked by the garlic/lemon/yoghurt.

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  3. Congrats on finding a beet you can manage! I think the reason I love beets is that I like vinegar, and pickled beets taste like vinegar. Worth a try!

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  4. I actually had a delicious beet salad that was mainly good because they were hidden amidst blue cheese.

    So many it was just a delicious blue cheese salad with beets slipped in.

    Either way I thought of you.

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  5. Yay! You did it! And now no more beets for a while!

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  6. With all due respect to Miss Button (I still like you Miss B!) pickled beets are FOUL. Just say no!

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  7. I love your tenacity in dealing with beets. That looks like the makings of a good salad. And am with Ben, salad and cheese makes everything better.

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  8. I personally believe that beets are of the debbil.

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  9. Oh, I love pickled beets! My friend Maude's mom makes fantastic ones. The only thing is that if you eat a lot of them, you see the alarmingly colored evidence of it in the toilet, and it can temporarily freak you out.

    I know you needed to know that. To feel better about avoiding them, I mean.

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  10. Yay to finding a way you don't hate them!

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  11. and just think, only five more beets that need to be eaten, EVER AGAIN!

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  12. Pickled beet fail. :( You were so close.

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