Recipes generate new respect for the humble beet

I was well into adulthood before I considered beets to be anything special.

My childhood memories aren’t kind to this humble root.

Beets then came in a can. Only in a can.

Then along came Marian Morash, cookbook author and co-host of the popular late-20th century PBS television series, “The Victory Garden.”

One special night back in 1985 I was fortunate enough to be at a banquet orchestrated by Morash during her stint as guest chef at The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.

Morash’s life-altering beets arrived as a side dish to rack of lamb. The beets seemed like an unusual accompaniment at the time, but I had confidence in her culinary savvy, so was keeping an open mind. The coarsely grated vegetable had been gently sauteed in a bit of butter, rendering an offering that was rich in color and delicately crunchy.

The flavor? A hint of the earthiness that all beets harbor, but as refined and subtle as a well-balanced pinot. This batch had never seen the inside of a can.

Obviously, this experience gave me a new respect for beets. I’ve been experimenting with them ever since.

Available year-round, beets are typically cooked before eating.

All beets “bleed,” but the red ones stain the most dramatically, thanks to the pigment betanin, which gives them their intense color. To minimize bleeding, don’t cut them before cooking. Leave about an inch of the greens intact, as well as the thin, hairy root tip. Trimming occurs after cooking.

Besides rack of lamb, good accompaniments include anything citrus, a variety of greens and herbs such as tarragon, chervil, dill, fennel and parsley.

This first recipe was acquired by the late Bert Greene on a trip to the Ukraine many years ago, where he found the morning borscht flavored with ham and sausage.

The raw beets are grated directly into the stockpot to give the brew a rich, deep color.

Hot red Kiev borscht

23/4quarts chicken broth

1pound chunk of cooked ham (you will chop it after the soup has cooked)

2tablespoons unsalted butter

1tablespoon oil

1large onion, finely chopped

1large clove garlic, minced

1large carrot, peeled, finely chopped

1turnip, peeled, finely chopped

1parsnip, peeled, finely chopped

2large tomatoes, seeded, chopped

1pound beets, peeled, roughly grated to equal about 21/2 cups

1small cabbage (about 1 pound, shredded)

1pound potatoes, peeled, diced

1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8teaspoon ground ginger

2tablespoons red wine vinegar

1pound kielbasa (Polish sausage), sliced

Salt

1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Place the chicken broth and the ham in a large heavy pot. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove the ham and allow it to cool. Reserve the broth. Shred or chop the ham and set aside.

Heat the butter with the oil in another large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion; cook 2 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the carrot, turnip, parsnip, tomatoes and grated beets. Add 21/2 cups of the reserved chicken broth. Heat to boiling; reduce the heat. Simmer, covered for 25 minutes.

Add the remaining chicken broth to the vegetable mixture. Add the reserved ham, the cabbage and the potatoes. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in the pepper, ginger and vinegar. Continue to cook, covered, over low heat for 1 hour. (The recipe may be prepared up to 24 hours in advance to this point, cooled and refrigerated until ready to serve. The flavor will improve as it stands).

To serve, reheat the soup if it was made in advance and add the sliced sausage. Simmer, partially covered, about 15 minutes, until the sausage is hot. Adjust seasonings, adding additional salt or vinegar if needed. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Recipe from “Greene on Greens,” by Bert Greene.

Russian beet and potato salad

Vinaigrette sauce (recipe follows)

4 to 5 medium beets

2medium Yukon Gold or new potatoes

1/4cup chopped parsley

1/3cup chopped green onions

1cucumber

1dill pickle

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the vinaigrette and place in a large bowl. Cook the beets until tender, drain, rinse in cold water, and slip off the skins. Dice into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. Cook potatoes until just tender. Peel as soon as they can be handled and while still warm cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.

Mix the vinaigrette along with the parsley and green onions. Peel the cucumber, score the flesh lengthwise with a fork (this leaves a pretty pattern on the edge that you can see once the cucumbers are sliced) all around the surface, then cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds with a spoon. Chop into 1/2-inch dice. Chop pickle into 1/2-inch dice. Add cucumber and pickle to potatoes and mix gently.

Just before serving, mix the beets with the potato mixture and season to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Vinaigrette sauce

2tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2teaspoon salt

1/2teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/3cup vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together white wine vinegar, salt and Dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in oil, then grind in a little black pepper. Adjust seasonings.

Makes 2/3 cup dressing.

From “The Victory Garden Cookbook,” by Marian Morash

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.

FIXING BEETS

Boiled: The generally accepted method for boiling beets is to place them in a pan of unsalted cold water. After bringing them to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beets are barely tender. Count on 25 to 30 minutes for a 11/2-inch beet.

Oven-steamed in foil: Wash and trim the beets, but don’t dry them. Wrap each damp beet in aluminum foil. Place them in a preheated 350- degree oven and steam them in their own juices until they sizzle and are tender-crisp, about 1 hour. Remove the foil, allow the beets to stand until they can be handled, and then proceed with any recipe calling for cooked or roasted beets.

Baked: Trim and wash whole beets, leaving skins on. Put beets into an oven-proof pan, cover, and bake in a 300-degree oven until tender. Figure on 1 hour for 11/2-inch beets. Beets cook best at a low temperature (at higher temperatures, without moisture, the result is a richer, almost charred flavor), but when you’re baking other dishes at a higher temperature, such as 350 degrees or 375 degrees, add about 1/4-inch of water to the dish and check occasionally to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate.

Steamed: Wash beets, taking care not to puncture the skin. Put 1 inch of water in the pot and bring to a boil. Place beets in the steamer basket, or in a colander, cover tightly, and steam until tender, about 40 minutes for a 11/2-inch beet.

Microwaved: 1 pound whole beets (5 beets, 21/2-inches across) placed in a covered dish with 1/4 cup liquid will cook tender in 10 to 11 minutes. This is a fast and easy way to cook beets.

Finishing touches: These are Marian Morash’s recommendations for finishing cooked beets from “The Victory Garden Cookbook”:

With cream: Coat 21/2 cups of diced or sliced beets with 1/4 cup heavy cream mixed with 1/4 cup sour cream, and warm together without boiling. Garnish with chopped parsley or dill.

With butter: Reheat in melted butter; 21/2 cups beets would take approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons butter. Season with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice.

With vinaigrette: Peel, slice and serve warm, dressed to taste with the vinaigrette sauce found in the recipe for Russian beet and potato salad.

Yield: 5, 21/2-inch trimmed whole beets yields about 21/2 cups cooked.