Roasted beets – Panxhar të pjekur

For centuries, beets have been used for not only food, but also as red dye and medicine. It’s so easy to cook beets, and their flavor is a heavenly combination of earthy and sweet. Beets are nutritious and have numerous health benefits. You can use the fresh leaves of the beets, too; they are excellent in soups or stews. 

One of the easiest ways to cook beets is to first roast them and then use them in a sauté with chives and goat cheese. There are also delicious with other meaty vegetables, and everything cooked with them will turn a lovely pink color.

Roasted Beets

Ingredients:

• 3 medium beets
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 T oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 T balsamic or white vinegar
• 1 t dried herbs

Wash the beets, place them in an oiled baking pan, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and then place them directly on the oven rack. Roast the beets for about 1 hour, then let them cool. When they are safe to handle, hold them under running water and remove their skins with your hands or with a small knife (your fingers will turn pink, but it will wash off). Place the beets on a cutting board (do not use a wooden board—the beets might stain it) and cut them into chunky pieces or rounds, whichever you prefer.

Now the beets are ready to be used in any recipe that you’re making. You can roast many beets all at once and whatever you don’t use right away can be stored in the fridge for later use. 

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft and translucent. Add the beets and cook for 1–3 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper, vinegar, and dried herbs of your choosing. Once seasoned, cook for another minute, and then remove it from the heat and allow to cool. 

Serve with rice.