| Since I was a kid beets have called my attention – it’s probably because my mom made them so tasty, but also because of the deep purple color they have and their sweet flavor that mixes perfectly with a lemon, olive oil, and salt dressing. Since I moved to the U.S. from Chile the only beets I’ve tried were pickled or from a can (which taste fine but not as good a my mom’s recipe). I have seen beets at the store, but I hadn’t ventured into buying any yet..until last week. Well actually I didn’t buy any, the beets fell into my lap at work (yeah, crazy workplace!!! hahaha). A few coworkers are part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and a couple of ladies from my department got a basketful of beets but they are not big fans of them as I am so they gave them to ME!!! | Desde que era nino, las betarragas me han llamado la atencion – lo mas probable es porque mi mama las hace tan ricas, pero tambien por el color morado que deja y el sabor medio dulce que se mezcla a la perfeccion con el limon, aceite de oliva y la sal. Desde uqe me mude a los Estados Unidos desde Chile, las unicas betarragas que he comido han sido en conserva (las cuales saben bien pero no tan bien como las que prepara mi mama). He visto betarragas en al tienda pero nunca me habia aveturado a comprarlas…hasta la semana pasada. Bueno , la verdad es que no las compre, sino que cayeron en mi escritorio (si, el lugar donde trabajo es asi de loco! jajaja). Un par de colegas son parte de un programa llamado CSA (que traducido significa Agricultura Apoyada por la Comunidad) y recibieron algunas betarragas en su caja de vegetales y como no les gustan me las dieron a MI!!! |
| I wasnt sure how to make them, but I was happy to take them and give it shot. I looked online for recipes and found a very easy way to make them..and it’s actually just the way my mom used to make them for me. I was dumb and forgot to take pictures during the preparation but there was nothing too exciting about it so I’ll explain. | No estaba seguro como prerarlas, pero feliz las acepte e hize el intento. Busque en la internet por recetas y escontre una muy muy facil…y es justamente de la manera que mi mama las prerara. Fui tonto y me olvide de tomar fotos durante la preparacion, pero no es nada muy emocionante asi que tratare de explicar lo mejor posible. |
| I cut the leafs and the bottom roots. I left the skin and cut them in half so they would take less time to cook. I put them in a big pot, covered them with water and let them boil for a while. The beets are ready when they get softer, so every 15 to 20 minutes I poked them with a fork to test the hardness. Mine took about 45 minutes (it’s almost impossible to overcook the beets so I didnt have to worry about that). When they were ready I took them out of the water and let them cool for a while. Once they cooled off I peeled them with my fingers – the skin falls off almost by itself so peeling is not a problem. Then I cut them in little pieces and put them in the fridge. | Corte las hojas y la raiz del fondo. Deje la cascara y las corte a la mitad para que no demoraran tanto en cocinar. Las puse en una olla grande, la cubri con agua y las puse a hervir por un buen rato. Las betarragas estan listas cuando se ponen suaves, asi que cada 15 a 20 minutos las oinche con un tenedor para ver como estaban. Estas demoraron mas o menos 45 minutos en ponerse blandas (es casi imposible sobre cocer las betarragas asi que no hay que preocuparse). Cuando estaban lista las saque del agua y las deje enfriar. Una vez frias, las pele usando mis dedos – la cascara sale sola muy facilmente – y luego las corte en rodajas y las puse a enfriar en el refrigerador. |
| As I mentioned before, I like my beets with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Now that they are all ready, it’s just a matter of taking a portion out, putting some dressing on them and enjoying a taste that reminds me of childhood, Chile, and my mom’s amazing cooking. | Como mencione antes, me gustan las betarragas con jugo de limon, aceite de oliva, y sal. Ahora que estan lista, es solo cosa de sacar la porcion que me voy a comer, alinar, y disfrutar de ese sabor que me recuerda de mi nines, Chile, y la maravillosa mano cocinera de mi mama. |
Los Rodriguez Life 
8 responses to “Eat your beets!”
I love beets. I sometimes just slice them somewhat thin and sauté them in a stir fry.
That sounds good! I never thought about using them in stir fry, I should try it. Thanks for sharing that!
It makes the stir fry rather colorful 😉
Hey the more colors the better for you!
Sadly, I’m the only beet lover in my family. In the midwest, USA where I am from, they were almost always pickled. After the pickled beets had been eaten, hard boiled eggs would be left to sit in the pickling juice for several days, taking on a lovely pink hue and a slight pickled beet flavor. I like the idea of lemon and olive oil–I’ll have to try that. Thanks for coming over to visit my blog and liking it. Do come back!
I love to roast my beets in foil with olive oil, salt and garlic cloves and bake them in the oven. Yum. I love beets too
I have never been a big fan of beets, however, beet juice is a totally different story. Jugos and licuados are a really big thing down here. I recently tried beet/orange juice and it was really good.
I can see how that can be good. Beets are pretty sweet so I am sure that mixed with other fruit juice is good! and PURPLE!