Beets Constantine

This recipe was sent to us more than a year ago by Ariane Michas, one of our members. She said, "I have a beet dish from my Greek father-in-law that I would like to share. This dish takes no more than 20 minutes, and uses the whole beet -- greens and all... Garlic salt is an ingredient I used to turn my nose up at, but it is totally essential for this recipe. It isn't the same without it."

1 bunch beets

olive oil

red wine vinegar

garlic salt

fresh ground pepper

Trim and peel beets and slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Chop the beet greens and stems into 1-inch pieces and rinse thoroughly. Place the sliced beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the beets to a gentle boil, covered, and simmer them until they are nearly tender. Add the beet greens and stems and cover. It's just fine if the greens are still damp from washing, the water will help them cook evenly. The layer of beets below acts as a sort of natural colander, steaming the greens. When the greens have wilted and stems and beets are tender, drain off all of the water. Put in a bowl and sprinkle garlic salt and fresh pepper to taste. Drizzle liberally with good olive oil and red wine vinegar while the beets are still hot.

The dish can be served warm or room temperature, makes great leftovers, and is a lovely accompaniment to any summer salad.

lunch, vegetable dish

traditional