How I learned to love beets
I love beets! When I was growing up in Rock Island, IL, as far as I know, they didn’t sell beets at the grocery store. My only exposure was when my mom bought jars of Manishevitz brand. She loved it. I found it disgusting. When I grew up, I found fresh beets in the store and decided to try making my own borsht. I loved it!
For many years, I got beets galore from my CSA box from Angelic Organics. And I learned many other ways to prepare beets. Farmer John published a cookbook (I had 2 copies and gave them to my daughters). I highly recommend it!
One of my favorite recipes, back in the days when I was still glutenous, was chocolate beet cake. Not only do the beets make the cake very moist and extra sweet, but the cake comes out a beautiful color, as well. Here’s the recipe:
Farmer John’s Chocolate Beet Cake
Farmer John's Chocolate Beet Cake
A moist, flavorful chocolate cake made with beets
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup mild vegetable oil or melted butter
- 3 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups sugar or less if you don't like it too sweet
- 2 cups pureed cooked beets about 3 medium beets
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour or use all white flour, if you prefer
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- powdered sugar to sprinkle on top
- oil and flour for pan
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 10 cup Bundt or tube pan with oil and dust it with flour.Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 10 cup Bundt or tube pan with oil and dust it with flour.
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Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts; remove from heat and stir until well combined. Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts; remove from heat and stir until well combined.
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Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
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Sift the all-purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour into a large bowl. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Do not over mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sift the all-purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour into a large bowl. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Do not over mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
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Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes
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Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.
Beet (and other roots) salad
Through Farmer John’s cookbook and experimenting on my own, I ‘ve discovered that I like the taste of beets and other root vegetables raw. So after going to the lovely Farmer’s Market in Boulder last weekend, I made myself a beautiful salad.
greens and grated root salad
use any greens and root veggies you have on hand!
Ingredients
- greens one large handful per serving. I used lettuce and arugula
- beets, any color as much as you want or have on hand
- radish as much as you want or have on hand
- hokkaido turnips as much as you want or have on hand
- can also use carrots, rutabaga, sweet potato or celery root, Jerusalem artichokes (put lemon juice on these last two right away to keep it from turning brown) or any other root vegetables
simple vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp prepared mustard
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or other kind of vinegar
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 6-8 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
soft boiled eggs
- 2 eggs for each serving--can also hard boil them or prepare them any other way you like--or add other protein
Other optional additions
- sunflower or pumpkin seeds--or pistachios
- crumbled or grated cheese
- croutons (gluten-free, if desired)
Instructions
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Prepare eggs--for soft-boiled, bring water to a boil in a pot large enough to hold all the eggs in a single layer. Lower the eggs gently into the water--I use a slotted metal spoon. Cover and boil for 6 minutes then run under cold water until they're cool enough to handle. You can either peel them like hard-boiled eggs or cut off the top and scoop them out
Salad
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While the eggs are cooking, wash the lettuce and/or greens, dry and tear into bite-sized pieces
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Grate the root vegetables and add to the greens
Salad Dressing
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You can, of course, use prepared dressing, but I love my simple vinaigrette. You can experiment with the proportions depending on how salty, tangy, or mustardy you want to make it. When I can, I use the last of the mustard in my mustard bottle and make the dressing right in the mustard bottle
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Mix together acid, salt, and mustard. Mix well.
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Add olive oil and mix well again
Put it all together
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Assemble each salad in individual servings--veggies first, then eggs or protein (if desired), dressing and any optional toppings.
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Eat and enjoy!
And here’s one more beet recipe–roasted cabbage, beet, and potato soup with quick-preserved lemon!
And finally–the beet poem!
Since today is Poetry Friday, here’s a (rather silly) beet poem with footnotes.
Jama, at Jama’s Alphabet Soup, hosts this week. Check out her blog, see what other poets have to say, and join in the fun!
Beautiful, bountiful, beneficial beets
Red or yellow delicious treats
When you cut them, your hands turn red
You’ll look like you’ve killed someone ’til they’re dead.
Mash them, grate them, mach eine Suppe*–
Sweet and earthy and rather toothy.
Put a bissel* sour cream on your borscht helping
And what can I tell you, gornicht helfen*.
Lleno de fibre y minerales*
They’ll even improve your athletic performance.
Also, for some reason I cannot explain,
They put different languages into my brain.
*Mach eine Suppe: make some soup (German)
Bissel–a little (Yiddish)
Gornicht helfen–you won’t be able to help yourself (Yiddish)
Lleno de fibre y minerales–filled with fiber and minerals (Spanish)
That’s all for today!
Thanks for stopping by!!
xoxo
I’m a beet fan, too! My son is anti-beet, but I’ll bet that cake could convince him otherwise (he has celiac, so I would use gluten-free flour).
Let me know if you make a gluten free version. I haven’t made it since I was diagnosed with celiac.
Oh, I love the enthusiasm and the blended language of the beet poem. I have memories of beets as a kid…I hated them. Just the thought of them is tough. But, I love that they are special to you and they led to poetry. That’s wonderful! I’d be willing to try the cake recipe!
Thanks! Farmer John presents the cake as a recipe for people who don’t like beets, but my whole family likes beets and we like it, too
Thanks for all the beet goodness! Growing up, I only remember occasionally having the canned version, which I didn’t really care for. But once or twice, my mom served fresh beets and what a difference! Have never had them raw in a salad or anything, though. Enjoyed the fun poem. 🙂
I still make them into soup, but I like them best raw as long as they’re grated.
I’ve never been brave enough to try beets (the pickled variety seems popular around here), but I might could eat them in chocolate cake!
You never know until you try!
[…] can check out this other post about beautiful, bountiful beets, too, if you want more earthy […]