Candied Beets

Bring a pop of color to your holiday or dinner table with sweet-tart pomegranate candied beets served over their own greens.

As far as food likes and dislikes go, beets tend to fall in the latter category.  If asked, most would probably recall the rather miserable taste of their not so pleasant encounters with the jewel-like vegetable.  I admit that I struggled to appreciate beets as well in the past until I discovered that it was all in the preparation.

To fully appreciate the potential of the much maligned root you need to coax out its sweet side.  Whether that’s roasting it, juicing it, throwing  it into a salad, or as is the case this time – glazing them.

Coating the beets with a sweet-tart pomegranate glaze helps to cancel out their earthy undertones and let their inner, candy-like sweetness come through.  What you end up with are beets that are glossy and tender, with a ruby-like color and not a hint of that dirt-like flavor that can ruin a good beet dish.

How to candy beets:

Glazing  vegetables is one of those easy cooking techniques that doesn’t get mentioned often enough.  It’s a saving grace around the holidays when you already have a full oven to plop a pan on the stove-top and let it do its thing while you go about your business, but it’s just as nice for an ordinary weeknight meal. 

The key is to find a pan large enough to fit all the vegetables snugly in one layer, then add just enough water to come about halfway up but not fully cover the vegetables.  Then you simply slap on the cover and let the whole thing simmer gently until the glaze starts to form, at which point you take the cover off, give the pan a good shake or two and you are done.

It’s also an easy recipe to save if you happen to go wrong.  Put too much water the in the pan to start and your beets are cooked before the syrupy glaze forms?  Simply strain the beets, and continue to cook down the glaze until syrupy.  Or if you went the other way and find you don’t have enough water, simply add more to the pan if you notice the beets getting dry before they are fully cooked.

Now you can certainly stop here and serve the candied beets on their own as a side or take them one delicious step further and toss them into a hearty cold-weather salad made with their own greens.  Beet greens like kale stand up well in a salad but are more delicate in taste and texture.  They are a natural pairing with the candied beets and a great way to use the whole vegetable, so be sure to buy a bunch with good looking greens attached. 

Of course if you can’t find beets with the leaves still attached you can also substitute kale or spinach.  Add a handful of toasted pecans and a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds and you have yourself a holiday salad with lots of tastes and textures that is sure to please.

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Yield: 4 Servings

Candied Beets

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Bring a pop of color to your holiday or dinner table with sweet-tart pomegranate glazed beets served over their own greens.

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Ingredients

For the glazed beets:

• 1 bunch red beets, (leaves trimmed and saved) peeled and diced
• 2 teaspoons/10ml coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon/15ml pomegranate molasses 
• 2 teaspoons/10ml maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the salad:

• The leaves from 1 bunch of beets, stems removed, thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon/ 15ml extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons/10ml pomegranate vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons/30g pecans
• The seeds from ½ a small pomegranate

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the diced beets in a wide shallow skillet (about 10-inches) so that they are snugly arranged. Add the coconut oil, pomegranate molasses, maple syrup, salt, and enough water to come about halfway up the beets (about ½ a cup). Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Remove lid and continue to cook shaking the pan occasionally until the liquid is syrupy and the beets are tender (another 3-5 minutes). If the glaze is done before the beets, add more water and continue to cook. If the beets are done first, remove them from the liquid and continue to cook down the liquid until syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool slightly
4. Meanwhile, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant (about 5 minutes). Let cool and coarsely chop.
5. Place the chopped beet greens, olive oil and salt in a large bowl and massage gently until the leaves start to soften. Add pomegranate vinegar and toss to combine; transfer to a serving platter
6. Top greens with glazed beets, chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds before serving.

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• 
  Al Wadi Pomegranate Molasses from OliveNation, 100% Natural - 12.34 ounces

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 263Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 325mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.