The Lunch Beet

My lunch today included all parts of the beet. Of course, you may not believe that since there are no beets in evidence on my plate above, but that's only because it didn't occur to me to include the beet greens with lunch until after the potatoes and gravy were ready. So, while the water was coming to a boil, I ate the delicious roasted Golden beet.

Remember the Penzeys spices trip? The horseradish powder was a smart purchase. I've used it several times already on roasted beets. It's easy to combine a very small amount of the powder with a bit of water to make instant horseradish sauce. Spread on the beets with a sprinkle of salt, its zippy flavor really complements the sweetness of the beet. Best of all, I don't have a jar of horseradish in the fridge that will go bad before I can use it all up.

Once the water was boiling, I blanched the beet greens until tender. Remember, these are the leaves without the stems, since I pickled those separately. After draining the greens, I used my hands to squeeze the excess water out of them and then chopped them finely. I tossed them with minced fresh garlic and minced pickled beet stems to add bite and a touch of sweetness. The stems are somewhat chewy so chopping them finely seems the best way to go.

For the green report, let me note that the potatoes, onions (in the gravy), beets, and garlic are all local. The only non-local ingredients in this meal were the minor players: the flour and salt for the gravy, plus the sugar, vinegar, and celery seed used to pickle the beet stems. The potatoes, whole beets, and onions were also all cooked in the solar ovens over the past couple of days.

This was a lunch that can't be beet!