Do you like beets? My wife loves them, me not so much. My aversion to beets goes back to my Junior High days. On many Sundays after Church, I would have a friend over or go to one’s house to play. Robbie and I would pair up quite frequently as he attended the same church. His Mother would prepare the family Sunday lunch, which very often included beets. “No ma’am”, I don’t like beets”, I would plead. “You must eat them, they are good for you, no ‘buts'”, came the no nonsense reply.
Here in the Panama mountains, they are grown locally and always available. Because of that, I guess, one of the national dishes is a cold salad made of boiled potatoes and beets. Pretty good stuff, I might add. Anyway, I picked up some fresh beets for my sweetheart and prepared them with other local ingredients. She loved them!
- 4 Small Fresh Beets, Peeled, Sliced into ⅜" Thick Discs
- Juice from ½ Large Lemon
- 3 Tablespoons Pineapple-Mango Juice (Or Just Pineapple Juice)
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Thin Coin-Shaped Slices Peeled Ginger Root
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- Measure fruit juice, brown sugar, and salt into a cup; add ginger slices. Stir well, add butter, set aside.
- To peel beets, slice off the stem end and the root end. Then peel with vegetable peeler. Place prepared beets in small sauce pan and add water to cover; pour in seeded lemon juice. Boil beets covered for about 30 minutes over low heat. Check for doneness by piercing with a fork ... they are done when tender and fork enters the slices easily. Add water as necessary during cooking and drain fully when done.
- Remove ginger slices from juice mixture and discard. Pour juice-butter over beets in pan and return to low heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until juice is reduced by two-thirds. Enjoy!
Credits: Thanks to Avalon Gardners for the beautiful picture of beets.
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