How to prepare beetroot properly – a healthy, versatile and popular winter vegetable

For many years, beetroot was a culinary sidetrack. In recent years, however, this delicious winter vegetable has experienced a true renaissance. Beetroot is low in fat, high in fiber and rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals in our bodies. Beetroot has a concentrated load of important ingredients such as vitamin B, potassium, iron, potassium, iron and, above all, folic acid for our body – making beetroot a healthy vegetable and rich in vitamins and minerals.

The beetroot is related to the chard and the sugar beet. At that time it came to Central Europe with the Romans – originally this cultivated plant actually comes from the Mediterranean region, probably from North Africa. It comes from the wild beet or the wild turnip. By the way: The now even red color of the beet is a result of further processing in the 20th century. This color is mainly due to the high concentration of the glycoside betanin. At that time, beetroot was also used as a dye plant. Betanin, which is not exactly heat-resistant, is used as a natural food coloring (E162).

Table of contents:

• How do you prepare beetroot?
• Can you eat beetroot raw?
• How healthy is beetroot juice?
• Can you freeze beetroot?
• What can you do with beetroot leaves?
• How long can beetroot be stored?
• Beetroot salad
• Beetroot soup
• Borsch – Ukrainian stew with beets
• Beetroot carpaccio
• Labskaus with beetroot
• How to prepare beetroot properly in German
• Now it's your turn, your support is needed

Since beetroot is known to cause quite a mess when preparing it and turns everything red, you should rub your hands with cooking oil beforehand or put on disposable gloves. If something goes wrong, lemon juice helps. He safely removes the red spots from the hands. If there are splashes on clothing, you should quickly reach for hot water and soap.

How do you prepare beetroot?

Boiled beets: First, brush them thoroughly under water and then boil them, unpeeled, in plenty of water for a good 1 hour. Tip: Adding a little vinegar or lemon juice to the cooking water makes it even more aromatic. After cooking, quenching in a bowl of cold water makes peeling easier. Cooking in the oven is gentler: Place on aluminum foil at approx. 180 degrees for a good 50 minutes, then peel – done.

Can you eat beetroot raw?

Can you eat beetroot raw?

You can! The beetroot salad in particular, with a little horseradish, is a popular classic here.

You can also use this beet to conjure up a wonderful beetroot carpaccio. The beetroot is cut wafer-thin and refined with a primarily sweet vinaigrette. If you treat yourself to beetroot about once a week and don’t have a problem with it, you can continue to do so. By the way: Everything that is heated above 42°C is no longer considered raw food.

How healthy is beetroot juice?

How healthy is beetroot juice?

The question is irrelevant. Beets are low in fat and high in fiber and antioxidants. It contains important ingredients such as vitamin B, potassium, iron, potassium, iron and, above all, folic acid. Question answered? Try a delicious beetroot juice – you will be amazed. Clean the beets with water and a vegetable brush. If the shell is very hard, peel it with a vegetable peeler (wear gloves).

Cut into small pieces to fit in the juicer. Juice and zack – enjoy. Tip: Add a carrot, a dash of lemon and/or a few pieces of apple to juice.

Can you freeze beetroot?

Yes – but it is important that you cook the beetroot before freezing. So you can freeze these delicious vegetables as a supply for the winter. In the refrigerator or in the freezer, packed in good plastic containers, beetroot will keep for a good 6 to 7 months.

What can you do with beetroot leaves?

What can you do with beetroot leaves?

Sure, the leaves of the beetroot can of course also be processed. Simply wash the leaves, dry them and cut them into thin strips. Peel and chop a few shallots or onions and sauté in a pan with some good olive oil. Add beetroot leaves and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, arrange on a plate.

As a topping I recommend walnuts and another shot of good olive oil. If you like, you can also add one or two chopped, hard-boiled eggs on top. Tada! A delicious, healthy meal is ready.

How long can beetroot be stored?

My grandparents used to do it like this: they lined a sturdy wooden box with straw, then they put about 5 to 10 cm of sand on top. The beets were then placed on top (roots pointing downwards). Now the gaps were filled with sand and on top came another layer of straw. That’s how they stored beetroot in their cool cellar back then. So they always had a nice supply – all winter long.

Beetroot salad

Beetroot salad

Ingredients for about 4 people:

1 apple
2-3 beets
2 tbsp raisins

Ingredients for the dressing:

1 small banana
1/2 organic orange, juice
1/2 organic lemon, juice
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt
Pepper

Clean the beetroot, peel thinly with a vegetable peeler (wear disposable gloves), cut into large pieces and grate with a grater (medium fine). Wash and quarter the apple and remove the core. Cut the apple quarters into small cubes and mix them with the raisins into the grated beetroot. Mix orange juice and lemon juice. Peel the banana, mash with a fork and stir into the fruit juice together with the oil. Season the dressing with salt and freshly ground pepper and pour over the salad. Then mix the salad thoroughly again, arrange and you’re done.

In short – after a good 20 minutes you have conjured up a delicious Beetroot salad on the table.

Beetroot soup

Beetroot soup

Ingredients for about 4 people:

– 1.5 kg of beetroot
– 750ml vegetable broth
– 2 onions
– 30 grams of butter
– 150g sour cream
– Salt pepper
– 2 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 bunch of chives

Cook the beets in plenty of salted water for about 30 to 40 minutes. Place in cold water for easy cooling. Finely dice onions. Peel the beetroot (put on disposable gloves) and finely dice. Set aside 4 tablespoons of beetroot cubes. Sauté onion and beetroot in butter. Now fill up the broth and let it simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Puree the soup with a hand blender. Stir in half of the cream, DO NOT let the soup boil any more. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Finely chop the chives. Spread soup on plates. Garnish with the cream, chives and the reserved 4 tablespoons of beetroot.

Borsch – Ukrainian stew with beets

Borscht – Ukrainian stew with beetroot

Ingredients for about 6 people:

– 2 beets
– 1 carrot
– 50g of white beans
– 500 g soup meat from beef
– 1-2 onions
– 2 tbsp sunflower oil
– 1 tbsp vinegar
– 5 potatoes
– 300 g white cabbage
– 3 tablespoons sour cream
– 1 tbsp tomato paste
– 1/2 bunch of parsley
– 1/2 bunch of dill
– 2 bay leaves
– Salt
– Pepper
– 2 teaspoons of sugar

Soak the beans overnight beforehand. Pour off the soaking water, rinse the beans and add the diced soup meat and the bay leaves to about 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Simmer on a low flame for a little over an hour. Peel the beetroot (put on disposable gloves), cut into thin strips (thick as a matchstick). Wash and coarsely grate the carrot. Peel and coarsely chop the two onions. Braise everything together in the sunflower oil for about 10 minutes until the beetroot is soft. After the beans and meat have cooked for a good hour, add the peeled and roughly diced potatoes. Cut the white cabbage into strips and add after another 10 minutes.

Let everything cook together for another 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the tomato paste and sour cream and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture takes on a reddish-gold colour. This takes about 5 minutes. Add to the stew. Likewise the beetroot, carrots and onions. Now finely chop the parsley and dill, add and season with salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Serve with sour cream, fresh finely chopped garlic and onions. By the way: beetroot, which is boiled and cut into small pieces, quickly loses its bright red color. A little vinegar in the cooking water stabilizes the color.

Beetroot carpaccio

Ingredients for 2 people:

– 1-2 beets
– 1 tbsp walnuts (chopped)
– some gorgonzola

For the sauce you need:

– 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
– 1/2 tsp mustard
– Pepper
– Salt
– Nutmeg
– Coriander
– Chili
– 3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil

Wash beetroot, peel (wear disposable gloves) and cut into very thin slices. Arrange on two plates. Mix the white wine vinegar, mustard and spices in a small bowl using a whisk, add good olive oil and mix again. Drizzle over the beetroot carpaccio. Now add the chopped walnuts and the gorgonzola (crumbled) and serve. If you want, you can caramelize the walnuts beforehand. Put some sugar in a hot pan, add the chopped walnuts and stir in carefully. Be careful not to burn anything.

Labskaus with beetroot

Labskaus with beetroot

Ingredients for 4 persons:

– 750g cured beef (e.g. breast or leg)
– 1 small celery root
– 1 carrot
– 1 small parsley root
– 1 kg of potatoes
– 2 onions
– 50 grams of butter
– 4 herring fillets
– 4 gherkins
– 1 bay leaf
– 1 tsp white peppercorns
– 1 carnation
– 1 bunch of leeks
– 400g pre-cooked beetroot

Place the beef in a saucepan with plenty of water, add the spices and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour after boiling. Remove the foam that initially forms with the help of a ladle. After about 1 hour, add the peeled, washed and finely chopped vegetables. Peel the potatoes and boil them in a separate pot until they are very soft. Peel and dice the onions and sauté in butter. Remove the meat and vegetables from the broth.

Cut the meat into small pieces – now put the potatoes, the onions, the herring, two gherkins and the beetroot through a meat grinder (middle disc) one after the other. Add the beef broth to make a soft paste. Season with salt and pepper – reheat. Fry the eggs in butter. Distribute the Labskaus on the 4 plates, put an egg on each and serve garnished with the remaining cucumbers – done.

Also read my article “Prepare Brussels sprouts properly – rich in vitamins and healthy through the winter” in which you will learn how How to best prepare Brussels sprouts.

How to prepare beetroot properly in German

You can find this article in German at www.rolfkocht.de as “Rote Bete richtig zubereiten – ein gesundes, vielseitiges und beliebtes Wintergemüse”

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