Fresh Cooked Beets

I bought some dark, red-purple, tubular beets at my local Farmer's Market last week. My theory on this is any time Luther Burbank or nature deviates from the norm, you sacrifice original quality.

With tomatoes for instance, I use grape tomatoes or Roma's, which are dry and hold up well, for pasta salads.  I also use (less acidic) orange and yellow tomatoes for a splash of color, if a recipe needs it.  My favorites however, are the original big-shouldered, round, red-orange tomatoes. The flavor and texture is so nice!  Carrots and cauliflower are other examples.  They're now available in so many colors, but I prefer the texture and flavor or the originals, except for an occasional switch to liven things up.

Back to beets - The tubulars are really good, but I prefer the originals.  Unless the color of the yellow or orange is what you want, the round red-purples are best for texture and flavor.

Cut the beet away from the stems and greens, scrub and put them in a pot with just enough water to cover.  Heat them to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about an hour.  Checked for doneness with a fork, which should slip in and out easily. Chill in cold water.  When cool enough to handle, the skins right off.  Quarter and slice.

Saute' a little butter and a medium quartered-sliced Vidalia onion. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with real Maple syrup.  Add some Lemon-Oil Salad Dressing to marinate, mixing gently every couple hours.  Chill-marinate overnight. This method contains less sugar and is much healthier than regular pickled beets. . .Lin  (be aware that beets are VERY colorful - and this color is not lost as it passes through our systems - so anything that comes out pink-purple, a few days after ingesting beets, is quite normal :o)