Servings: 4 cups
Tools Used in this Recipe
- Salad Spinner or wash bowl and strainer
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- vegetable peeler
- Braising Pan or skillet with a tight fitting lid
- Wooden spatula or equivalent
- measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs beets about 3 medium beets
- beet greens and stalks optional
- 1 small red onion or 1/2 large red onion
- 1 cup Hot water or vegetable stock
- 2 Tbls Balsamic Vinegar
- 1–3 tsps Maple Syrup optional
Instructions
Prep Instructions
- To keep your hands clean of the red beet color, wear food safe gloves. Cut off the beet tops (stalks and greens) leaving about 1 inch of stalks.1 1/2 lbs beets
- Wash the beets and leave in a salad spinner bowl with clean water.
- Cut the remainder of the stalks if needed.
- Peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler.
- Place the beet on the flat cut side down. Cut into 1/2-3/4 in slices. Then in the other direction cut in 3/4 in slices to make the diced cubes. Repeat with the other beets.
- If using the stalks and greens, cut the stalks horizontally in 1/4 in slices and the greens in ribbons about 1/2 in wide.beet greens and stalks
- For greens that are really large, cut lengthwise in half.
- Slice the red onion about 1/4 in thick and 1 in long.1 small red onion
Braising Instructions
- Heat the braising pan to medium with 2 or 3 tablespoons of water. When the water starts to boil (about 3–5 minutes), add the sliced onions (don't let the water evaporate before adding the onions). Stir, then leave to brown a bit, about 3 minutes. Push the onions to the outer edge of the pan to make room for the beets to join the party.1 small red onion
- The beets should be glistening with moisture but not overly wet before adding to the pan. If beets look dry, add a few drops of water to the pan, then add the diced beets to the pan in a single layer. Leave without stirring about 3 minutes to caramelize.1 1/2 lbs beets
- Stir and leave to caramelize further, another 3 minutes
- Once the beets are caramelized, add the hot water or stock (1 cup), put on the lid and reduce the heat to low-medium to simmer. Set timer for 20 minutes.
- Optional Step: If using the greens and stalks, they can be added now or for a more al dente 10–15 minutes after the braising has started.beet greens and stalks
- After 20 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar, stir and leave to simmer 5–10 minutes more or until the beets fork tender (a fork goes easily through the beet).Taste one of the beets to see how sweet or earthy tasting it is. If desired add more balsamic and the optional maple syrup. Stir and allow to heat through.The beets are ready to serve or store in the fridge to serve later.2 Tbls Balsamic Vinegar, 1–3 tsps Maple Syrup
Notes
Using hot water as opposed to room temperature or cold allows the cooking to continue and takes less time to come to a simmer.