Beet It ~ Beets Cooked In Their Own Earthy Sweetness...

All you need is... Well, that song may ring true in theory, but we also need to eat. And before we can eat, we should learn how to cook. I strongly suggest learning to cook vegetables that are in season and for two reasons: firstly, they are darned good, and secondly, it's easy.


BTW, love is not enough. You have to be redemptive, as well. Oh, sorry, that's another blog... 

And I know you'd be a year richer for every cent paid each time your grandmother or some cooking school graduate assured you that home cooking was easy. Well, they were right. What they didn't tell you is that no one wants to do dishes: because cooking can be a serious mess. That simple truth is why people subject themselves to Applebee's E. coli, and Subway's subsidized sandwiches. But I am here to assure you, once again, just how simple and relatively mess free cooking can be. And how rewarding and nutritious it is to learn how to cook for yourself.

Let's start with beets. Beets live an entire existence underground, soaking up nutrients and minerals that will flood your vital organs with life energy. That is the major point of eating: absorbing life energy. But let's be honest, no one really cares about the life energy of food until they've run out of it. People are interested in taste and beauty. So, why not start there? Beets are the Jimmy Choo's of the vegetable universe, they are gorgeous in color and sexy in texture. And, unlike Jimmy Choo's, dirt cheap. A fun trip to your local farmers market and you can have four or five organic bulbs for just two bucks. You'll just need a few things to get started.

1) parchment paper or aluminum foil
2) a baking sheet
3) paper towels
4) some kitchen basics: olive oil, honey, fresh herbs (if you have them) and salt and pepper

And I suppose, an oven. But I am guessing most of you have one.

So, here it is, a step-by-step, Jimmy Choo pun intended, of how to cook delicious, beautiful, simple beets.

Beets Cooked In Their Own Earthy Sweetness

have fun and choose a variety of beets in different colors at your local farmers market...



in a large bowl or basin, flood the beets with water and let soak for five minutes until the dirt has settled to the bottom, then scoop them out and pat them dry...

find your parchment paper, or foil, and a sheet pan...

trim the tops and tails of the beets and place them in the center of the parchment paper, on the sheet pan...

drizzle with olive oil and honey, salt and pepper, and dress with thyme and bay leaf, if you have some...

unless you would like them tie-died... cook each color of beet in its own parchment paper... 

and wrap them like a present, twisting the ends together to seal in the moisture...

bake @ 350 degrees for close to an hour, depending on the size of your beets...

 a pairing knife should slip through the flesh easily, when done...

the sweet beet juices make an incredible dressing for a salad... save it...

careful, opening the pouch... steam burns...

and gently wipe them clean with lots of paper towels... the skins should slip off easily...

it's messy and takes a little time, but...

your fingers will have evidence of your cooking... bragging rights...

slice, dice, quarter, any way you like, and toss with salad greens, or just a simple dressing of beet juices, red wine vinegar, lemon and olive oil...

i love fresh tarragon with mine, and crumbled French feta... and lots of it...

sweet little things... maybe, all we need is... xo.