For those of you who have always heard of beets and wondered a little bit more about them as a vegetable (what exactly do they *add* to a dish, where to find them and so on) then this is the post for you. Using an exert from “Fine Cooking” magazine, here are beets explained:
About:
Full of sweetness and saturated color, beets become tender and full of flavour when cooked- an ideal ingredient for salads. Side dishes, and soups. And although we think of beets mainly as root vegetables, in truth, the whole pant is edible. You can use the small, tender leaves raw in salads and sauté or braise the larger leaves as you would Swiss chard of kale. While most of us are familiar with red-purple beets, there are also golden and striped beets (the latter knows as Chioggia beets), as well as white ones. Your best bet for finding such varieties is at a farmers’ market. Baby beets are beets harvested when young. These tiny beets will cook more quickly.
Shop:
Look for smooth skins and tails that aren’t too shaggy. If the greens are attached that’s a good sign of freshness in general, but look specifically for the bunch with the brightest and greenest leaves
Store:
Kept in a cool place, beets will; last for weeks. Store both roots and leaves in a loosely closed plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
