Radiatore With Tomatoes And Beet Greens Recipes

RADIATORE WITH TOMATOES AND BEET GREENS

Steps:

• Peel the tomatoes by dropping them into a pan of boiling water and letting them sit for two or three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Peel, seed and chop them.
• Soften the garlic in the olive oil. Add the fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and the sugar and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
• Remove the stems from the beet leaves. Wash the leaves thoroughly and boil them for four to five minutes in salted water. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze as much water as you can from the greens, chop them coarse and set them aside.
• Cook the radiatore in six quarts boiling salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce and stir in the beet greens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain the radiatore and toss with the sauce. Add the cheese and mix thoroughly. Serve at once, passing more Parmesan on the side.

SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS BEET GREENS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the beet greens, and cook uncovered until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the greens are cold, drain well, and coarsely chop.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the greens until oil and garlic is evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper. Cook just until greens are hot; serve with lemon wedges.

SIMMERED BEET GREENS WITH ROASTED BEETS, LEMON AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems. Scrub the beets and place in a baking dish or lidded ovenproof casserole. Add 1/4 inch water to the dish. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast small beets (3 ounces or less) for 30 to 40 minutes, medium beets (4 to 6 ounces) 40 to 45 minutes, and large beets (8 ounces) 50 to 60 minutes, until easily penetrated with the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish. Cut away the ends and slip off the skins. Slice or cut in wedges and set aside.
• While the beets are in the oven, stem the greens and wash in at least 2 changes of water. Place in a bowl.
• Heat a large, wide skillet over high heat and add the greens by the handful, stirring each handful until the greens wilt in the water left on the leaves after washing. Once one batch has wilted, add another until all of the greens are wilted. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, turn the heat down to low, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. The greens should be tender but still bright. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, toss the greens in the pan, taste and adjust seasoning. (Note: if you are not serving this right away, don't add the lemon juice, as it will change the bright color of the greens; instead, add shortly before serving).
• At this point you have the option of transferring the greens to a platter or serving the dish right from the pan. Whether in the pan or on a platter, arrange the beets on top of the greens. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil and squeeze on more lemon juice to taste. Mash the garlic to a purée with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle and stir into the yogurt. Place spoonfuls of yogurt over the top of the beets and beet greens, sprinkle on the walnuts and serve, with grains if desired.

BEET GREENS AND RICE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish with olive oil. Either blanch the beet greens for 1 minute in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, or steam over an inch of boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes, until wilted and tender. Rinse with cold water, squeeze out water and chop medium-fine. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked greens and the thyme and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in the greens mixture, the rice and the cheeses and mix together well. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until sizzling and lightly browned on the top and sides. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

BEET AND TOMATO SALAD WITH SCALLIONS AND DILL

Steps:

• Cook the beets: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub beets, and place in 2 baking dishes just large enough to hold them - golden beets in one, red in the other to keep colors from bleeding. Add an inch or so of water. Cover and bake until tender when probed with a skewer, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool. (Alternatively, boil or steam beets instead. Beets may be cooked several hours or up to 2 days in advance.)
• Prepare the vinaigrette: Put vinegar and pinch of salt in a small bowl. Add mustard and stir with a fork to dissolve. Beat in olive oil to make the dressing thicken slightly. Add pepper to taste, plus a bit more salt, if necessary.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub off the skins. Cut golden beets in half lengthwise, then into 6 to 8 wedges, depending on the beet's size. Repeat with red beets. Place in separate bowls, and season with salt. Slice tomatoes 1/2-inch thick, place in a separate bowl and season with salt.
• Whisk vinaigrette, and pour over beets and tomatoes, dividing it evenly among the bowls. Toss gently and marinate for 10 minutes.
• To serve, spoon the golden beets, red beets and tomatoes into distinct piles onto a large platter or serve in separate bowls. Top with scallions, and sprinkle with dill. Garnish with arugula or watercress, if using.

ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH BEET GREENS AND FETA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.
• Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops. Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Peel beets while warm. Cut beets in half and slice thinly. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in capers and 1/4 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely.
• Transfer greens to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Arrange beets in center of platter. Surround with greens; sprinkle with feta. Drizzle with any remaining dressing.

STEAMED OR ROASTED BEETS AND BEET GREENS WITH TAHINI SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut greens away from beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems. Scrub beets with vegetable brush. To steam beets, place in a steamer above 2 inches water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cover. Turn down heat to medium. Steam small and medium beets for 30 minutes and large beets for 40 minutes, until you can pierce the beet to the middle with a knife or skewer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. To roast, preheat oven to 425ºF and place beets in a baking dish (or lidded ovenproof casserole). Add 1/4 inch water to the dish. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast small beets (3 ounces or less) for 30 to 40 minutes, medium beets (4 to 6 ounces) 40 to 45 minutes, and large beets (8 ounces) 50 to 60 minutes, until they are easily penetrated with the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish.
• When beets have cooled, cut away ends and slip off skins. Slice in rounds or cut into wedges or half-moons.
• Blanch greens in salted boiling water for about 1 minute, just until they wilt. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and squeeze out excess moisture, taking up the greens by the handful. Alternatively, steam for 2 minutes, using tongs to flip the greens over top to bottom halfway through, for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely.
• To make sauce, purée garlic cloves with a generous pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle, or put through a garlic press. Transfer to a bowl or measuring cup and whisk in sesame tahini. Whisk in lemon juice, beginning with smaller amount. The mix will stiffen up. Gradually whisk in up to 1/4 cup water, until sauce has consistency of thick cream or runny yogurt. Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice.
• Line a platter with the beet greens and arrange beets on top and around greens. Drizzle on tahini sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve.