Creamed Beets
There’s a small specialty food store by my old work. The owner, also the cook, is an Polish immigrant from Argentina who spent most of her life in New York. Her food is a bit like her accent with flavors from many regions.
“I have a bit of everything from every continent,” she once told me.
She hand makes pasta such as rigatoni and cheese-herb ravioli that cook up in no time. She also bakes a variety of sweet treats from coffee cakes to Polish egg bread stuffed with poppy seeds. Our favorite, however, is the empanada. Nick favors the spinach cheese ones and I am loyal to the olive and sweet pepper kind.
I was first introduced to creamed beets at this store. The owner told me that this is a common dish in eastern Europe. It has the texture of creamed spinach. The beets are earthy. The caramelized onion is sweet. The sour cream is tangy. Such an interesting flavor combination for using such few ingredients.
You can boil the beets if that’s what you are used to. But I like roasting them because it intensifies the sweetness. I know it seems like a lot of time to invest into some vegetables, but most of it is unattended, giving you time to get other dishes ready. You can even roast the beets and saute the onion a day in advance.
This is a great dish as an appetizer served with some pita and hummus. I like eat it straight out of the bowl.
I’ve professed my love for beets in other recipes like this beet and orange salad and these beet pancakes. Now that beets are at farmer’s markets again, I thought I’d share one more. I hope you will take advantage of these jewel-toned beauties this season!
Creamed Beets
- Beets, 2 large, trim off the leaves and scrub the roots
- Onion, 1/2 of a medium, chopped
- Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Lemon juice, 2 tablespoons (from 1/2 of a lemon)
- Sour cream (low-fat ok), 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Loosely wrap the beets with a piece of aluminum foil. Set on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour or until a knife easily pierces through. Set aside to cool.
In the meanwhile, saute the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent.
Peel the beets and coarsely chop them. (Wear gloves if you don’t want stained hands!)
Add the beets and onion to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 20 times until the ingredients are finely chopped but not mushy like baby food. Add the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in sour cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves four as a side.