Beet tops?

17 years ago

My DH makes a killer Borsch and we love and eat it regularly. As you know, the main ingredient in Borsch is beets, so we buy beets very often. Recently it has been hard to find just beets, they sell them with tops included. I hate to pay for the tops and not use them but I have never eaten the tops and do not know what to do with them.

Anyone like them and can share some T&T recipes? That would be very much appreciated. Thanks

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Comments (9)

lindac
17 years ago
For my taste, by the time the beets are big enough amount to much...big as a base ball, the tops are over the hill.
But, I just cook the tops as I would chard or Kale...cut up into 3 or 4 inch lengths, cook in a little water with a piece of bacon and serve with a little vinegar and a dash of hot sauce.

But it's your DH's killer borsch I am wondering about....I have beets and am just waiting!
Linda c
punamytsike
Original Author
17 years ago
Linda, I posted it couple of months ago on this thread (linked below). Recently he has made it mostly with chicken stock. I buy chicken tights and then remove the bone and skin for stock and use the filee as you would boneless chicken breast. Like that, I get two meals out of the same piece of chicken. I use 4 chicken tights bones and skin to make huge pot of borsch.

Here is a link that might be useful: Borsch
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annie1992
17 years ago
Chicken Tights? LOLOLOL I keep thinking of putting socks on a chicken. (grin) I'm sorry, I'm not making fun of you, I knew what you meant, but it made me smile.

Now, beet tops. We call them "greens" here in Michigan and they are one of my favorites. I cook them just like I'd cook any other green, such as spinach or chard. I remove any tough stems, if they are big I might chop them but usually not. I toss a couple of slices of diced bacon into a pan with some chopped onion and a chopped garlic clove, then add the greens and saute them until they are wilted.

They're also good julienned and added to a pot of bean soup, kind of like kale.

Thanks for the borsch recipe. I made some about a week ago and it was awesome, but started with beef broth. I'm going to try your hubs' version next, with the very last of the beets from the garden.

Annie
donna_loomis
17 years ago
We just add the beet tops to the borscht.
lpinkmountain
17 years ago
Beets are my favorite green. I love the leaves, but especially the stems! Of course they do reach a point where they are tough, but I usually get a nice bunch out of a clump of beets. Can steam or sautee in olive oil. I like them this way, with butter and maybe some parmesean to top. Can also make sweet and sour with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, some onions and rasisns, but I hardly ever make them this way, steaming and eating plain is too easy! I also make a soup with butternut squash and beet greens. I like the contrast between yellow squash and the green and red greens. I can type the recipe if you like. It's an italian style soup. They are good in minestrone and borscht, IMHO.
I also use them for "beans and greens" which is like the italian version of beans and rice but with italian seasoning, chopped greens and topped with parmesean.
punamytsike
Original Author
17 years ago
It's OK Annie, I need to learn how to spell this word correctly LOL

I will try the sauteing in olive oil and see how we like it.
annie1992
17 years ago
don't try too hard, I kind of LIKE "chicken tights". It makes me smile...

L, I like the stems too and usually leave them right on the greens, but if they get big and are tough, then I take them off.

Annie
gellchom
17 years ago
Oh, you are going to like this --

I don't make much beet borscht, but I do like to roast beets. I used to pitch the leaves.

Then one day I was at a friend's house, and she had a platter of the most wonderful long featherlight crispy things. It turned out they were the tops from beets; they cooked down so crispy I didn't recognize what they were. I asked her how to make them, and she looked at me in surprise: "But -- I got that recipe from you! Isn't that how you make your Brussels sprouts?"

And she was right; I make lots and lots of vegetables that way: tossed with olive oil and kosher salt, then roasted for a while (temp. varies with what else is in the oven; time varies with vegetable; toss about every 10 minutes or so). But even though I roast beets that way, I never thought to do the greens. I sure do now.

What a revelation! A crispy, heavenly nosh you can tell yourself is good for you. Fattier and saltier than sauteed, but a lot more fun.

Keep them and the beets on a separate pan if you are making lots of different vegetables, or everything will turn pink -- like a red sock in the laundry.
sally2_gw
17 years ago
Count me in as another beet green lover. Sometimes, I just cook the chopped up beets and greens together. I'll parboil or roast the beets first till they're slightly tender, then saute them with the beet greens in a little olive oil. I'll usually add some chopped onions, and if DH isn't joining me, some garlic. For some reason, he's not a fan of garlic with greens.

Beets and Chard are closely related, so any way you cook chard can be applied to beet greens.

Sally