In Praise of Beets!

 One of the more fun benefits of having a box of organic vegetables delivered from local growers every week has been the adventure of learning to cook and eat new food!  The contents of the box have sometimes puzzled all of us at Swanson Acres. We've had to resort to Google to discover the names of some of the odd shaped fruits and vegetables.

And for weeks, we've been receiving bunches and bunches of beets in our Plow to Porch abundance.  I've let them rot and wilt in our refrigerator.  I've never eaten a beet, cooked a beet or even been mildly interested in beets.  I think there is something naturally unappetizing and unappealing about purple colored food

But, when I have food questions, I know who to ask.  That's right.  My sister, Kate--the vegetable expert!  She suggested roasting the beets and serving them with feta cheese.  Not only did I roast the beets, but I made a balsamic vinegar glaze, tossed the beets in the savory syrup, threw in some feta, and Voila!  Delicious.

I'm hooked!  On Beets!  And what's even better--my whole family found them delicious.

If you are like me, and have never liked beets, I think this recipe will change your mind.
  

Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients:

2 lbs red beets, scrubbed clean, green tops removed
Olive Oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange zest

Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 1 hour, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with the tines of a fork. Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are done. 2 While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.
3 After the beets have cooled for several minutes, but are still warm to the touch, peel off the outer skins and discard. Cut the beets into quarters or more, bite-sized pieces.
4 Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste. Add Feta cheese crumbles to make it extra yummy and garnish with a little orange zest to serve.