Day 12 - March 5, 2014: Lenten Beets and Greens - Νηστήσιμα Παντζάρια

Beets are a food that you like or you don't.  When the beets are cooked with the stems and the greens, they seem to be a new vegetable with a different taste.  When cooked, beets are sweet and full of sugar.  However, the stems are bitter and the greens (leaves) are peppery.  It is a great combination of flavours, and it is a very nutritious side dish that can accompany any meal.  In October, we are able to find purple beets, golden beets, and red beets, but for this recipe, we had only the traditional red beets.  Since beets are good any time of year, you can buy the various colours at various times of year.  Or, if you are adventurous, you can grow the beets in your garden and have a whole variety of colours.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

1 bunch red beets with stems and leaves

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Wash the beets. Since they are grown in the ground, it is important to clean them well.  Wash the dirt out of the stems and leaves, too.  We have found that with many root vegetables, there are small bugs caught in the leaves, and they  need to be washed out.  Some folks will put the stems and leaves in a sink full of water and let them to sit in cold water for about thirty minutes.  This will allow the dirt (and bugs) to rinse off and sink to the bottom, where the greens will float.  If you have that kind of time, you can do that.  If not, wash well.

Separate the three parts of the beets. Cut the beets off of the stems as close to the bulb as you can.  We usually allow an inch of stem to remain on the bulb so we can use it like a handle after the beets are cooked.  Also, cut the tail (root) end of the beet.  

The second (and middle) part of the beet is the stem.  They are long, and some are thick.  Cut the stem at the point where the leaves start to grow.  Now, you have three piles of three parts of beets.

To cook, put the beet bulbs in a pot full of water and bring it to a boil.  Add the stems to the pot once the water comes to a boil.  Boil the beets until they are soft and will fall off a fork when poked (like a potato).  They should be soft all the way through the centre.  The stems will be done in the amount of time it takes to cook the beets.  Drain the water from the beets and stems and rinse the bulbs under cool water.  While rinsing, rub the skin on the beet, and the skin will peel off easily.  We do this under running water so we have fewer stains on our hands from the beet juice.  You can wear gloves if that is easier for you.

Once the beets are peeled, slice them or quarter them and set the beets aside.  Set aside the stems without doing anything to them.

Boil the water and add a pinch of salt for the greens.  Add the leaves into the pot of boiling water.  Cook the stems long enough to become soft.  The greens take about 3 minutes to cook full.  The greens will wilt and turn a deep shade of green.  When the leaves are tender, drain the water, but do not rinse the stems.

With all three parts cooked, it is time to assemble them into a dish (bowl, or shallow bowl) and dress them for dinner.  It is not formal attire, though, but the beets will get dressed.  Lay the greens in the serving dish.

In a separate bowl, put the cut beets with the stems.  Pour oil and vinegar on top to coat all the vegetables and mix well.  Now, put the mixture of beets and stems into the bed of greens.  Pour any remaining oil and vinegar on top of the beets in the serving dish.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top, to your liking, and serve.  The oil and vinegar will dress the greens as they all sit together in the serving dish.  This is very traditional way to serve beets.  

"Everybody wants to change the world, but nobody thinks about changing himself."Dostoevsky

Source of quote: http://theodorakis.net/orthodoxquotescomplete.html