Overheard I dreamed that I was playing football in a grocery store with a bunch of beets. These people came running down the aisle. My mom went for a touchdown. Being a small person, she jumped into an empty meat cooler lined with green astroturf to score. — Angelic Organics Field Manager Beets—You Love 'Em or Hate 'Em As far as popularity goes, beets are the most polarizing common vegetable. Most CSAs find that about half their shareholders want beets and half don’t.

The pungent flavor of mustard is wonderful with the sweetness of beets. For this recipe, tender cooked beets are sliced and warmed in a creamy and delicious mustard sauce. If you cook the beets ahead of time, this becomes a low-fuss, high-impact side dish you can prepare and serve almost instantly.

From Angelic Organics Kitchen
(adapted from Greene on Greens)

Serves 4

Ingredients
11/2 pounds beets, scrubbed, trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped shallot or red onion
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Place beets in a small roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake until beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size. Allow beets to cool slightly, then run under cold water and slip off their skins. Slice the beets in half; cut each half into 1/4-inch wedges.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot or red onion; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the stock, milk, and mustard. Cook and stir the mixture until slightly thickened. Add the beets, continuing to cook and stir until they are warmed through, about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the skillet from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.

From Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics.
Text copyright 2006 by John Peterson and Angelic Organics.
Reprinted with permission of Gibbs Smith, Publisher, www-gibbs-smith.com

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Recipes: Beets | Carrots