Cooking beetroot

kiwitel, Feb 22, 8:22pm
My husband loves beetroot (and I don't). I grew some for the first time this year in my garden (torpedo variety) and they have grown well. I cooked my first lot up a few weeks ago and got information from google how to cook. I added a bit of vinegar and they were cooked well apparently.
But my husband said they didn't taste that great. Should I have added something else? Maybe I left them in the ground too long and they lost flavour (I was not sure how big they should get?. Google has not helped.
I see they add sugar to the tinned ones (which is what he usually eats)- do I add sugar to the water as they boil or do I make a brine after they are cooked to soak in?
Any help appreciated. Thanks.
bear_zerk, Feb 22, 8:54pm
I boil until soft in salted water, cool, peel and slice then put into jars with 1 teaspoon of sugar and fill with malt vinegar. Perfect every time and lasts for months.
kiwitel, Feb 22, 9:20pm
Thank you. My husband can't have too much vinegar as it triggers his asthma so I may have to improvise.
davidt4, Feb 22, 9:40pm
You could try baking the beetroot, which concentrates the flavour.

Peel, slice into slim wedges, place on a sheet of tinfoil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, a little extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of red wine vinegar. Fold up the tinfoil to make a loose package but leave a space at the top to let steam escape. Bake at 170 C for about 45 minutes or until completely tender. The wedges may start to caramelise on the edges, which is good.

Serve hot, warm or cool as a side dish, drizzled with a little more oil. Or add some mint, parsley or tarragon plus chunks of feta to make a meal.
fifie, Feb 22, 10:08pm
You could cut 5-6 cooked ones into chunks put in a jar in a spiced juice to keep, lovely in salads with feta. Juice is vinegar and water though.
kiwitel, Feb 22, 11:13pm
Thank you. :)
browny36, Feb 22, 11:23pm
I use this recipe . absolutely delicious

Preserved Beetroot
Half dozen Beetroot
1.5 cups of Malt Vinegar
1 cup of Water
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon of Salt
Wash the Beetroot to remove most of the dirt and then chop leaf stems off the Beetroot so only an inch or so is left.
Place Beetroot into a pot of water (skins on) and bring to the boil.
Boil until the Beetroot is soft – about 30 minutes – think of the softness you aim for with potatoes.
Remove from the boiling water and allow to cool. Save the water for the preserving mixture.
Start making the preserving mixture while the Beetroot cools.
Put all ingredients into a pot, and bring to the boil.
Boil for 10 minutes.
When the Beetroot has cooled, rub the skins away – they should come off easily having been boiled.
Cut the Beetroot into slices, and then halve the slices if desired.
Place the Beetroot into sterilised jars, so the slices lay horizontally in the jar.
Pour the boiled preserving mixture into the jar, over the Beetroot.
Seal with sterilised lids and then using heat protection, gently tap the bottom of the jar on a chopping board to force the air bubbles up to the surface and also settled the Beetroot slices.
Leave the jars for at least a week so the Beetroot pickles. I do a double lot and just keep in the fridge .
kiwitel, Feb 23, 2:31am
Wow- thank you so very much. Ill have to go and buy some jars. Hopefully Briscoes or the Warehouse has them.
jan2242, Feb 23, 3:04am
did he want them like the tinned ones? I love them roasted in the skin. The peeled and smothered in butter with lots of black pepper.
kiwitel, Feb 23, 4:59am
Do you cut them into smaller chunks if you roast them? These are torpedo beetroot so look a bit like a kumara.
lythande1, Feb 23, 5:58am
Smaller is better, for flavour. Husband used to like the vinegar, salt, sugar mix.
Yuk.

The only ones I ever liked, Countdown do a salad, baby beets, plum sauce, feta and basil leaves.
I can eat that in small doses.

Some like them roasted, as is.
nauru, Feb 23, 6:21am
I peel and cut them into small chunks, mix 1 tablsp maple syrup and 1 tablsp balsamic vinegar together with a grind of salt and pepper and toss the beetroot before roasting.
sarahb5, Feb 23, 9:52am
I haven’t tried the torpedo variety but the usual round ones I scrub well then wrap in butter paper and roast then scrape the skin off once roasted. You can also eat them raw in salads just grated.
redrustie, Feb 23, 11:20am
I love them steamed then roasted, so yummy!
janbodean, Feb 23, 6:20pm
I make a half vinegar half water liquid to "pickle" them in because i find vinegar alone too strong. It's just a matter of boiling the two together with the addition of a little sugar and then cooling before pouring over the beetroots.
sarahb5, Feb 23, 9:30pm
Why do you steam them first?
zeta7, Oct 20, 4:01pm
my grandmother res boil with salt until soft tip water out add cold water run hands over beetroot to peal cut up into slices put in bottles make mixture of 1 c vinegar 3 c water 1 cup sugar salt to taste my have to add more salt or sugar pour that mixture into bottles seal will last for years like the brought ones use old jam pickle bottles if you dont have old fashion ones