Roasted beet starter

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Roasted beet starter
Serves 4
We enjoy the way beets hold their own, while leaving room for other additions. Always wanting to keep the summer kitchen cool, we make this at the first beet appearance or during the fall. The anise scent of the roasting veg is most soothing. Have your way with this idea.
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Ingredients
  1. 8 medium beets, any color, roots and greens
  2. 1 teaspoon anise seeds
  3. 1 tablespoon salted butter
  4. juice of one lemon
  5. good tasting olive oil and an interesting vinegar, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Trim off beet greens, leaving two inches of the stem to keep the veg from bleeding during the prep.
  3. Set the greens aside.
  4. Wash beets.
  5. Wrap each beet in an "envelope" of parchment paper, tucking in the anise seed before sealing. Place the well-wrapped beets in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet.
  6. Roast the beets in the preheated oven, until tender.
  7. Check after 40 minutes with a fork, and continue to cook longer, if needed.
  8. In the meantime, triple wash the beet greens and coarsely chop.
  9. Steam the greens over boiling water till totally wilted.
  10. When the beets are done, place the packets on cutting board and let sit till cool enough to handle with an oven mitt.
  11. Roll the beets back and forth in their little packets, mashing with the heel of your hand, till the skins and stem peel off easily.
  12. Discard skin, top stem, anise, and paper.
  13. Cut the beets into slices or chunks, as desired.
  14. Sauté with the butter in the same steaming pot, water dumped out and pot wiped clean.
  15. Cook about four minutes.
  16. Pile greens on a platter, drizzle with lemon juice and place beet pieces over all.
Choose your next step
  1. Serve warm immediately.
  2. Cool to room temperature and drizzle with a good olive oil and an interesting vinegar.
  3. Cool to room temperature, and continue piling on choice of additions for a warm salad. Hard cooked egg slices? Pan-toasted garbanzos?
  4. Grated carrot? Toasted pine nuts and snipped dried fruit?
  5. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and interesting vinegar.
Notes
  1. Cook’s tips and tricks: If you use whole anise flowers instead of seeds, put 1/2 whole flower with each beet. Try fennel seeds next time.
Stonebridge Farm CSA https://stonebridgefarmcsa.com/