“Waste Not”, delicious Beet Greens!

Ever since I began getting my local CSA (community supported agriculture) box from Talley Farms, I have been attempting to be more conscious of utilizing every part of the fresh goodness that I receive.  In an effort to “waste not”, I decided to try cooking Beet Greens for the first time.  I researched some recipes and found a basic starting place for how I wanted to prepare them at Simply Recipes.  

Beet Greens Recipe

Prep Time:  5 minutes     Cook Time:  25 minutes     Yield:  Serves 4

While this recipe calls for discarding the stems, if you want you can use them too if they aren’t too woody.  Just cut them into 1-inch segments and add them to the onions after the onions have been cooking for a minute.

Ingredients:
     1 lb. beet greens
     1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a Tbsp of bacon fat)
     1/4 cup chopped onion
     1 large garlic clove, minced
     3/4 cup water
     1 Tbsp granulated sugar
     1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
      1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Method:
1.  Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water.  Drain greens and wash a second time.  Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems.  Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside.
2.  In a large skillet or 3 qt. saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat).  Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown.  Stir in garlic.  Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan.  Stir in sugar and red pepper.  Bring mixture to a boil.
3.  Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender.  Stir in vinegar.  (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)

I selected to alter the original recipe in the following ways:

• I used sliced shallots instead of onions
• I decreased the amount of sugar and red pepper flakes to half of what the recipe called for
• I replaced the cider vinegar with a peach balsamic vinegar, used only about 1 tablespoon and first cooked out most of the liquid in the pan before adding it
• I topped the greens with crumbled feta cheese

I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful they tasted!  The greens were tender, lightly sweet and flavorful.  In fact I enjoyed their flavor even more than spinach prepared similarly.  I will never throw away beet tops again!