Betabeles: The Beet Goes On

Betabeles. It's a lovely word for an unlovely root. They look like ruddy cannon shot piled in the market stalls or on the ground cloths of the vendedoras. We've been eating them a lot lately, so I thought I'd post some ideas. From deep within the BlogSoil, I dug up this never-before published  item.

(I've edited it to conform with my present, heightened blogging standards.)

Now, for a reprise, a return to our roots.
In a recent discussion on Michoacan_Net, Jack McGarvey asked me, "Which prompts me to ask you if beets are popular in Michoacan, whose climate and soil seems almost ideal for beets to flourish. If beets are popular there, how do the "natives" prepare them? Me? Well, there's hardly any vegetable more satisfying than cooked, sliced beets slathered in butter and seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. Works for carrots, broccoli, and asparagus, too. Simple is better?"

My reply was "Beets me, Jack." (I couldn't resist.)

Fresh beets are easily available in the Pátzcuaro mercado. They often run to a huge size that should be classified as ordnance. But, with careful looking and knowledge, one can locate the señoras, seated on the ground with their choice home grown produce spread out. One day, I spotted a fine bunch of 8 smaller beets—not "baby" size, but smaller than cannonballs— and when I asked "¿cuanto?", I was told,
"Diez pesos." It's a deal.

Back at the house, we trimmed off the unfortunately ugly greens, scrubbed the beets, and set them to simmer an hour or so. When cool enough to handle, Doña Cuevas removed the skins. She likes beet greens, but only if they are young, tender and in good condition. I don't eat them, as they have an exceedingly laxative effect on me.

Our usual manner of preparing beets is to eat them with salt and pepper. Those beetlets were amazingly sweet. They could have served as dessert.

I used to make Havahd Beets, but why mess up such a deliciously natural vegetable? Harvard Beets should be made from canned beets.

Occasionally I'll sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar. Once in a while, I'll make a vegetarian borscht, topped with crema.

We will sometimes roast beets. They are excellent with other roasted root vegs, such as turnips, if you can find them. 

I haven't seen much in the way of beets in local restaurant meals. They are sometimes used in fresh jugos combinados, often called "Vampiros". I've also seen them served in shreds on salads. I must confess, I’ve never drunk such juice combinations in Pátzcuaro.

Shredded beets are found on certain fruit or vegetable cocteles, in the Pátzcuaro mercado. Here’s a photo. Beet shreds in bolsitas in center row.

Long ago, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, we once ate some tostadas de verduras. Cooked potato, carrots, beets, and some mashed  frijoles negros as a base, plus some cubes or a smear of aguacate. They were delightful.

Here are some yuppie beets, back in the Little Rock, Arkansas Farmer's Market. That was back when they were $1 USD a precious bunch. Some ended up in the roasted vegs pictured above.

UPDATE: pressure cooking beets is the way to go. After scrubbing the beets, removing the feeler root and the greens*, we put them in the base of our Fagor Duo pressure cooker, pour in about 3 cups of water, perhaps a little salt; lock on the lid, set the pressure to "2", and fire the range. When the little indicator pops up, we turn the gas flame down to low. Let the beets cook under pressure for 35 minutes.

(This time is longer here at 7000 feet above sea level.)

At the end of 35 minutes, we turn off the flame and let the cooker cool naturally. If we want to release the steam rapidly, we'll put the cooker in the sink and run cold water over until the indicator drops down.

We wait a bit until the beets cool, then easily peel off the skin. *The pressure cooker manual says to peel the beets before cooking, but we think that's messy and unnecesary.

The remaining liquid is richly satisfying, and can be used in other dishes** or simply savored as a hot or cold drink.

We do love pickled beets, when made at home. Here's a recipe, gleaned from the pages of James Beard's American Cookery for Polish Style Pickled Beets. 

10 to 12 medium-sized beets

1 TBSP grated horseradish or bottled horseradish. I boosted the kick factor by adding some wasabi powder.

1/2 tsp caraway seed

1 TBSP salt

1 TBSP sugar

2 cups vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar. White vinegar is fine.)

** Beet cooking liquid, as desired.

Cook the beets, then skin in the usual fashion. Slice across thinly and place in a large bowl.

Heat the vinegar and seasonings to dissolve. Pour over the sliced beets, taste and adust seasonings, cover with plastic film, refrigerate overnight. Serve, or store in jars under refrigeration.

Optional additions

One or more thinly sliced white onions. Or, a dozen small, cebollita type onions.

Peeled, hardcooked eggs.

Fresh dill weed, snipped.

Here're a couple of tips: if you do add the cebollitas and/or hardcooked eggs, you should increase the pickling liquid to half again, so that it covers all the stuff.

Another thing to be aware of is to either cut the beets into slices small enough to pass the mouth of the jars, or use wide mouth jars.

I suggest consuming these pickled beets within a week or two. That shouldn't be difficult.