How to Make Foreign Cinema’s Beets Three Way

I have largely avoided cooking beets my entire life until this week. They are an absolute mess to work with and that is putting it lightly. Also have not been too much of a fan from past times, a little too earthy for me. However, every once in a while, a restaurant surprises you with the quality of beets they produce to showcase the true potential of the vegetable.

So basically, like most people including myself, you are probably looking for a better way to prepare beets and actually be proud of the result. Let’s take a look at the Foreign Cinema Beets Three ways to show a few different ways to prepare beets, making sure that nothing goes wasted from the vegetable.

Cookbook – Foreign Cinema

Ingredients –

Vinaigrette –

Olive oil – 1/4 cup
Champagne vinegar – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp

Roasted beets and beet greens –

Golden beets – 2 bunches, leafy greens attached
Red beets – 1 bunch, leafy green attached
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
Garlic clove – 1
Red wine vinegar – 2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp

Beet Puree –

Olive oil – 1/4 cup
Red wine vinegar – 2 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala – For garnish (I honestly didn’t make this) Makes about 1/2 cup, feel free to half or quarter if only making for this recipe

Coriander seeds – 1/4 cup
Dill seeds – 1 1/2 tbsp
Allspice – 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns – 1/2 tsp
Red Pepper flakes – 1/8 tsp
Bay leaves – 7

Tools –

A few bowls
Baking trays

Step 1 – Make the Vinaigrette

In a large bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, and salt. Set aside.

Step 2 – Make the Roasted Beets and Beet Greens

Preheat oven to 400F.

Trim away the beet tops and tails, reserve the greens for later. Scrub the beets under cold water to remove any dirt. Arrange the beets in a single layer of a baking dish large enough to hold them, fill with a small amount of water, just enough to the bottom of the dish is covered. Cover tightly with foil and let cook for 45-50 minutes, until they are easily pierced a sharp knife.

When the beets are cool enough, scrape away the skins or trim with a pairing knife and cut into 1/2 inch slices; kind of like if you are cutting lime wedges. Keep the beets separate and place into two different bowls so the colors do not blend. Drizzle 1/2 of the vinaigrette into each bowl, toss to combine, set aside.

Rinse the reserved beet greens under water to get rid of any dirt, pat to dry or use a salad spinner if you have one. Separate the stems from the leaves, cut the leaves into 1 inch wide strips, cut the stems into 1/4 inch pieces.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add the greens and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the vinegar and salt, cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Step 3 – Make the Puree

Put 1 cup of the prepared red beets in a blender or food processor, add the oil, vinegar, and sea salt. Blend until the mixture is silky smooth, 1-2 minutes.

Spoon 1/4 of the puree on to the middle of the serving plate. Arrange the wilted green on top, and top with the golden beets, and the remaining red beets. Sprinkle the Garam Masala on top (optional), and serve.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

And for the ratings –

Difficulty of ingredients to find – 3/5 stars – usually available year around and would be a quick trip to the store
Perceived difficulty going into the recipe – 2/5 stars –
Difficulty after recipe – 3/5 stars – It’s not that the recipe is hard, the beets are just kind of weird to peel and takes some time.
Time taken – 3/5 stars – less than 2 hours total
Taste – 3.75/5 stars – It’s good, but beets come down a lot to the quality that you can buy
Make again? – 3/5 stars – maybe for a certain occasion