Rad Beets

Beets are simply amazing. If only it were possible to understand them.

When you pick beets, look for a better bunch than the one on top. Grocers tend to put them in uneven bunches, and you can easily get an extra half pound of beets by just picking a better bunch. Look for one big one and two small ones instead of three medium ones. Also, look for healthy stems and leaves. You are buying the ingredients for two separate dishes, when you buy a bunch of beets - a set of fibrous greens and a vitamin rich bulb. When you get them out for cooking either part, you should wash them thoroughly (especially the greens, they tend to absorb dirt and grit in the folds of their leaves. Cut the stems an inch or two from the bulb, and scrub the bulb with a vegetable brush under cold water to remove dirt. I am going to talk about the bulb in this recipe, but you should cook the greens later.

To get the most flavor out of your beets, do not peel before cooking, and do not boil them. You cna wrap them in tin foil and roast them at 450 F for an hour or so, and then run cold water over them and peel them. If they are done, the peel should come right off with a little pressure, and you shouldn't need a peeler or anything. Do this under the cold water, as the beets will be filled with heat. If you are wearing a white shirt, press the largest beet against the center of your chest for 30 seconds. Now you have some prepared beetroot, and you can do whatever you want with it. This is the way to get the most beet-flavor out of beetroot, as boiling, or peeling before cooking will cause them to come out flavorless and feeble. For this recipe, put the beets in the fridge for a few hours, to cool them off. You don't want them melting your cheese.

Okay now take em out, cut up some fresh mozzarella, and toss in some arugula and maybe some olives. Cut up the beets, and dress the whole salad with extra virgin olive oil, sea or table salt, black or green pepper, and a little bit of lemon or balsamic vinegar, but not more than a capful of vinegar or half a small lemon. You really don't want much acid in your beets. Maybe none at all. Maybe you should try it without the vinegar first. If you don't like things to be purple, you should only toss this salad when you are ready to eat it, as the beet color will leak into everything.