Both the root and leaves are edible. Raw (young leaves and roots), boiled, roasted, or pickled. Add a thin slice of cooked red beet to pickled eggs or cauliflower for a hot pink surprise. The smaller beets are more tender. Red beet juice stains everything. I peel or cut them on a plate rather than my wood cutting board. Eating beets can cause "beeturia" which is when the urine turns red or pink. Once Lewis thought he was dying the day after eating my beet salad with sour cream and chives.
Our vegetables are polyamorous, flitting from love affair to love affair.
However, they do marry well with the ingredients below.
Avocado, hazelnut, olive, safflower, sunflower seed, walnut
Onion, shallot, leek, scallions, garlic, carrot, celery, celeriac, fennel, parsnip
Asparagus, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, mushrooms, potato, rutabaga, scallion, spinach, tomato, turnip
Arugula, Belgian endive, chicory, endive, frisée, mâche, watercress
Apple, pear
Blood orange, clementine, lemon, lime, mandarin, Meyer lemon, navel orange, tangerine
Anise hyssop, basil, bay leaf, borage, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic chives, hyssop, lavender, lovage, marjoram, mint, tarragon, thyme, winter savory, za'atar
Soft or Crumbly Cheeses: Blue cheeses, chèvre, cream cheese, crème fraîche, feta, fromage blanc, Gorgonzola, mascarpone, ricotta, sour cream, yogurt cheese
Allspice, caraway seed, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, ground dried ginger, black peppercorns, star anise, sumac
Citrus: Lemon, orange, blood orange, tangerine, Meyer lemon, preserved lemons
Vinegars: Champagne, cider, rice, rice wine, sherry, white wine, herb vinegars, fruit vinegars
Herbs: Ginger, young ginger, horseradish
Specialties: Capers, prepared horseradish
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