Beetroot - love it or not?

How do you feel about beetroot?

  • I love it

    Votes: 9 52.9%
  • Its good

    Votes: 1 5.9%
  • I only like it in certain dishes or cooked in certain ways

    Votes: 3 17.6%
  • I can take it or leave it

    Votes: 2 11.8%
  • I dislike it

    Votes: 2 11.8%

  • Total voters
    17

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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Beetroot is much beloved by Chefs - probably due to its dramatic colour. But perhaps like me, your first experience of beetroot was in School Dinner salads - and it was the kind of beetroot which came out of jars and had been pickled in very acidic vinegar. Not the best way to eat beetroot in my opinion.

Later I came across it ready cooked in vacuum packs and that was/is a different experience - simply cooked (steamed, microwaved, baked, boiled) its sweet and earthy. More recently I've cooked it myself and explored different colours such as golden beet. But you know what? I'm still not over keen. I can take it or leave it. If anything its a bit to sweet for my taste.

What about you? Do you like beetroot and how do you cook/use it?
 
Beets, yes? I've enjoyed beets in certain dishes my grandma used to make:

Borscht (cold beet soup topped with sour cream)
Gefilte fish with horseradish and sliced beets on the side

It might be interesting swirled into mashed potatoes with lots of butter.

I like beets with cottage cheese and sour cream, and added to a salad.

Great with potato perogies, sour cream and onions.
 
I love it, we get it canned here, my first job at 14, ( 6 weeks away from 15th birthday) the cafeteria lady sold Beetroot and onion sammys. I bought them nearly every day. I still make these to this day. Try it??? We also have what we call pea pie n pud. It's a pie with mash on top and peas and Beetroot also on top. I love that too. All my family love home made Beetroot. I make my own. I normally bottle about 5 to 10 kgs a year. BUT.... I don't eat it, I only like tinned Beetroot. Go figure!! We have some growing outside ATM. I'll put a pic up later. It's not far away from bottling.
We kids normally go through the cupboards in the garage when they are here. I also swap it for fish and other stuff.
And als it's great in a burger.

Russ
 
I love it, we get it canned here, my first job at 14, ( 6 weeks away from 15th birthday) the cafeteria lady sold Beetroot and onion sammys. I bought them nearly every day. I still make these to this day. Try it??? We also have what we call pea pie n pud. It's a pie with mash on top and peas and Beetroot also on top. I love that too. All my family love home made Beetroot. I make my own. I normally bottle about 5 to 10 kgs a year. BUT.... I don't eat it, I only like tinned Beetroot. Go figure!! We have some growing outside ATM. I'll put a pic up later. It's not far away from bottling.
We kids normally go through the cupboards in the garage when they are here. I also swap it for fish and other stuff.
And als it's great in a burger.

Russ

You are BIG on beetroot! How does the tinned version come. Is it pickled in brine or just 'boiled'. Did you add your vote?
 
Pretty much food hell for me. There is a nice beetroot dip recipe I make sometimes using roasted baby beets, I think it’s a middle eastern recipe. Otherwise I avoid them like the plague.
 
Beetroot is great. I tend to buy the orange ones or the "target" ones - circles of purple and white - over the truly purple beets. This is due to the "dye factor" not due to taste issues. I also love beet greens which I seem only to be able to find at farmers markets during beet season. Those I chop up and simmer with a little dash of vinegar and ground pepper, top with butter after draining. Serve warm, perhaps with a side of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.

But, back to the beets. Small ones can be diced into salads, larger ones are often in stews. Borscht is good - I've actually only had that served hot, but I'd be interested in trying it chilled as well. (Borscht does "need" to be purple... for that ambiance...) I will put the canned in salads - I don't buy the canned but if it is on a salad bar somewhere, I add it to my salad.
 
Beetroot is great. I tend to buy the orange ones or the "target" ones - circles of purple and white - over the truly purple beets. This is due to the "dye factor" not due to taste issues. I also love beet greens which I seem only to be able to find at farmers markets during beet season. Those I chop up and simmer with a little dash of vinegar and ground pepper, top with butter after draining. Serve warm, perhaps with a side of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.

But, back to the beets. Small ones can be diced into salads, larger ones are often in stews. Borscht is good - I've actually only had that served hot, but I'd be interested in trying it chilled as well. (Borscht does "need" to be purple... for that ambiance...) I will put the canned in salads - I don't buy the canned but if it is on a salad bar somewhere, I add it to my salad.
I often reach for them at a salad bar, as well. When there's room on my plate. Used to buy them in a can years ago. Not bad. Don't think they were brined, but don't recall the liquid. Don't eat them that often, but do enjoy them on occasion.
 
This is due to the "dye factor" not due to taste issues.

Do you mean the way it bleeds into other elements of the food?

I also love beet greens which I seem only to be able to find at farmers markets during beet season

I've never seen those at all. Do they taste different from the others?
 
I made these coconut-beet samosas as part of the coconut challenge. But, it was really always all about the beets. This is still my favorite way to make samosas (I excluded the coconut the next time I made them).

img_0962-jpg-jpg.jpg


I also regularly have a massive jar of pickled beets at the ready. I make them with cinnamon, cloves, garlic, salt, apple vinegar, serrano peppers, and a scant amount of sugar (unlike the usual methods that are heavy on the sugar). I am saddened when I get a Greek salad in a restaurant and the beets they use are limp and tasteless. But, that just makes me want to go home and make a Greek salad of my own..with my beets.
 
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