The leaves of the beet plant have a welcome and unique flavour and can be used on their own to make a wonderful salad. They are green with red stems and they resemble chard, which by the way is a relative of the common beet.
Bright beet greens. They make a wonderful horta salad!
Most people prefer to eat the sweet root of the beet plant, therefore they cut off and discard the leaves. Next time, save the leaves, give them a good rinsing with cold water, and turn them into this healthy, quick to make, Lent appropriate, low-calorie salad.
The leaves are blanched for a few minutes and then are sautéed in olive oil. It's a simple salad which makes an excellent lunch.
Ingredients:
about 2 bunches of beets
2 cloves of garlic, chopped well
1 shallot, chopped very well
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of oregano
lemon juice to taste
olive oil
Directions:
lemon juice to taste
olive oil
Directions:
- Cut the leaves from the beets, and reserve the beets for another purpose. The beetroots have a long life if stored in the refrigerator, but the leaves need to be cooked soon after the beets are bought.
- Slice the leaves into pieces about one inch in length and rinse them well.
- Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and add the greens. Cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to get tender.
- Using a slotted spoon transfer the leaves into a bowl filled with ice and cold water. Blanch them for about 2 minutes so that they can retain their bright green colour.
- Drain the greens and dry them on paper towels so that they don't spatter while being sauteed.
- In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and saute the shallot until it starts to soften.
- Add the pinch of oregano and the garlic, stir, then add the greens. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes. Stir well so that all the flavours blend together.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the greens on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Drizzle some olive oil on and around the greens and serve along with extra lemon wedges.
