甜菜是地下花园的珠宝。这些美丽的根部充满甜味和饱和的颜色，煮熟时变软和浓郁，是沙拉，配菜和汤的理想成分。尽管我们主要将甜菜视为根蔬菜，但实际上，整个植物都是可食用的。蔬菜很美味：您可以在沙拉和蒸汽，炒菜的情况下使用小的，嫩的内叶，或者像瑞士奶油或羽衣甘蓝一样在较大的叶子中炖。

甜菜几乎全年都可以使用，但是新鲜收获的甜菜的最佳时间是夏季直至秋季和初冬。虽然根源是出色的饲养员，但绿色上衣的持续时间不会很长，这就是为什么您有时会看到没有它们的甜菜的原因。如果您的甜菜蔬菜在购买时看起来不错，请尽快使用它们。将根和叶子放在冰箱酥脆的抽屉中，将根和叶子放在一个松散的塑料袋中。

Beets’ sweet earthiness is a perfect match for the vibrant tanginess of oranges, as in the dressing recipe at far right. Many herbs also pair well with beets, including dill, chives, chervil, mint, and tarragon. And when looking for other vegetable partners, think coolseason greens like spinach, endive, escarole, and arugula, but also onions, shallots, and scallions. I like to pair beets with tangy cheeses that act as a foil to their sweetness: Goat cheese, feta, and blue cheese are among my favorites. And I love the way beets’ mellow sweetness blends with the robust, zesty flavors of ginger, mustard, capers, and horseradish.

Beets’ true colors

虽然我们大多数人都熟悉红紫色甜菜，但也有金黄色和条纹甜菜。如果您看起来足够努力，甚至可能会找到白色。

红甜菜are the most commonly available. They have deep-maroon flesh with ring patterns that suggest wood grain. Their flavor is rich and sweet, with a slight earthiness and mineral quality. The Forona and Cylindra varieties have elongated, cylindrical roots that produce even slices when cut crosswise.

金甜菜have orange skin, deep-golden flesh, and a full, sweet flavor that is milder and less earthy than that of red beets. The stems and leaves carry a golden color, too.

Chioggia甜菜，also known as Candy Cane, are an Italian heirloom variety whose flesh has alternating concentric circles of red and white. When you cut one crosswise, it looks like a bull’s eye. The colors, alas, tend to blend together during cooking.

How to cook a beet

Because beets are so dense, they take a relatively long time to cook. They can be boiled, steamed (best for small beets), pressure-cooked (ideal for getting them done in a hurry), and roasted. In my opinion, roasting brings out the best in beets, caramelizing the sugars and deepening their flavor.
To retain their juices, I like to leave beets whole and unpeeled when I’m boiling or steaming them, but for roasting, I peel and cut them first. This lets every piece of beet get nice and browned, and it keeps all the messy work up front. Plus, they roast much faster without skins, and you don’t have to wait for the beets to cool before you peel them. No matter what method you use, cooked beets keep at least a week in the fridge.

明亮的甜菜沙拉

There’s no end to the beet salads you can make. Here are a few ideas, good with beets cooked any way.

• Toss cooked beets in a mustardy vinaigrettemade with olive oil, red wine vinegar, a dollop of Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Serve on a bed of young beet greens or mesclun greens.
• Mix cooked cubed beets and young greenswith a simple vinaigrette thickened with puréed roasted garlic, and serve with goat-cheese toasts on the side.
• 切成煮的甜菜，扔进醋中made with walnut or hazelnut oil and sherry vinegar. Arrange over endive or frisée, scatter with toasted nuts (the same kind as the oil you use), and serve with a big slice of creamy Gorgonzola.
• Marinate warm beets in a little white wine或米醋。冷却后，用大量切碎的莳萝扔掉，放在菠菜叶上。淋上橄榄油，用超薄的红洋葱装饰。

Or try them in soups & sauces

• 做一个热粉红色的醋汁通过将蒸熟或烤的甜菜撒上橄榄油，醋，一丁香或两个大蒜，盐，胡椒粉和少量糖来使舌头上的充满活力。
• Cook up a beet pasta sauceof sautéed beet greens and garlic, cubed cooked beets, and fresh orange and lime juice, seasoned with salt and pepper. Toss with hot fettucine and garnish with toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta.
• 烤甜菜与其他根蔬菜例如胡萝卜，欧洲防风草，土豆，洋葱和萝卜。用橄榄油和芬芳的肉桂，小茴香，香菜和辣椒粉搅拌，上面涂有少许辣椒。搭配蒸粗麦粉，搭配薄薄的酸奶酱。
• Blend a beautiful pink borscht to serve cold.煮沸或高压煮甜菜，节省烹饪液。将甜菜切成大块，然后在搅拌机中切成泥，并在必要时使用少量烹饪液体稀薄。搅拌更多的液体以获得不错的汤一致性。用盐，胡椒粉和新鲜的柠檬汁调味。搅拌大量的酸奶油，切碎的欧芹，切碎的莳萝，细香葱或薄荷。冷藏，再加上酸奶油。