Beet greens (with optional skosh of meat)
2014-06-22 16:36:04
Serves 4
Yes, yes, eat those beet greens! We keep a zipper bag in the freezer. Inside the bag sleep individually plastic-wrapped slices of lean peppered bacon. Once in a long while, we will pull out one slice to hustle up some green prep or other. We offer an alternative to tossing those beet greens into the compost pile.
Ingredients
- 1 pound beet greens
- 1 strip of lean thick cut bacon or one slice Canadian bacon, chopped--optional
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 plump garlic clove or scape, minced
- 3/4 cup tepid water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon good-tasting vinegar
Instructions
- Double wash the beet greens and cut away especially tough parts of stems.
- Tear off leaves and drain in a colander.
- In the meantime, cook the bacon, if using, in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion when the meat is cooked through, but not crisp yet.
- Cook until tender, about seven minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Mix the sugar and pepper in the water.
- Add the greens to the veg in the pan and pour the water mixture over the greens.
- Stir to blend.
- Cook partially covered for ten minutes.
- Dress with the vinegar and continue to cook until greens are totally tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
- Just before serving, taste for seasonings. Unless you are a salt hound, you will not need any here.
Notes
- Cook’s tips and tricks: When cutting the stems and their greens off the root, leave two inches of the stem on the root for cold storage. The beets will bleed less in the preparation. Then cut the stem off after the beet is cooked and before you continue the prep.
Stonebridge Farm CSA http://stonebridgefarmcsa.com/