Treasure from the farmer’s market in January.
A day at the farmer’s market back in January rewarded me with these beautiful candy striped beets. They had been promising me all fall that once it got cold they would have beets. The first time this winter I bought the candy striped beets from them I roasted them but was disappointed they didn’t keep the red and white rings.
If you didn’t know this; the beet greens are just as good as the beets. Most grocery stores are going to just have the beets without the greens because, I guess, they take up too much room in shipping. My beets and greens were about 2′ long.
I knew I was going to be cooking the beet greens; how could I throw away greens that beautiful and only keep the root end of this vegetable and had planned on just slicing up the candy striped beets and eating them raw in salads. But, at the last minute, I decided to throw in a few slices at the end of cooking the greens to see if they would retain their unique coloring and they did. They could probably take a quick saute in a little olive oil and not fade too much.
We’ve been eating a lot of greens lately. If you have a favorite green or a way of preparing them, please share in the “comment” section at the end of the recipe.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Tuscan Bread Salad (Panzanella) is a recipe I posted back in 2010 and it makes a wonderful side dish to any meal.
I couldn’t imagine throwing away these greens since the vendor said they were the best part of the beets.
Chop the garlic and measure the red pepper flakes.
Saute the onions for a few minutes then add in the garlic and red pepper flakes.
Add in about half the beet greens and stir until they start to wilt a little.
Add in the remaining greens and stir.
Add in your sliced beets. I did not precook my beets so they remained a little crunchy. I wanted them to retain the candy stripes and was afraid if I boiled them they would turn red. If you don’t want a little crunch then boil them for 5 or 6 minutes after slicing.
- 1 bunch candy striped beets (or regular beets)
- 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2" pieces
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- A drizzle of olive oil (I used a chipotle oil)
- A drizzle of white balsamic vinegar (I used white grapefruit)
- Cut off the beets, wash and prepare however you like your beets cooked.
- Wash and dry the greens. Cut into large 1-2" pieces.
- Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet and heat. Once hot, add the chopped onions and saute for 5-6 minutes then add in the garlic, crushed red pepper. Add in your greens and cook 7-8 minutes. I like mine still a little firm and not too wilted. Add in our beets then juice and zest of one lemon. Drizzle with a little olive oil and white balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve and enjoy.
- I left my beets raw so they would be crunchy. You can either saute them really quick, boil them (they might lose their stripes) or roast them. Also, if you don't have access to fresh greens from a farmer's market your beet greens may or may not look good enough to cook. In our markets the beets are sold separate and I don't usually see beet greens. If that is the case, just use another green like kale, mustard, collards or chard and just add in your beets to the green of your choice.
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