Solar Roasted Beets Recipes

ROASTED BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks. (Small beets can be halved, medium ones cut in quarters, and large beets cut in eighths.)
• Place the cut beets on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and immediately toss with the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm.

SALT-ROASTED BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove greens from beets (reserve if making Amanda Cohen's Beet-Green Pesto). Scrub the beets clean. Place them in a deep roasting pan, then bury them completely in salt and pack it down. Bake 1 hour.
• Remove beets from oven. Insert a paring knife through the salt crust and into a beet to check for doneness. (On the off chance they're not done, return them to the oven and check every 10 minutes.) Crack the crust with a spoon, then remove the beets to a bowl, scraping the salt off them. Careful, they'll be very hot! (You can save the salt for future beet-roasting-just get rid of the clumps and store in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.) Rinse beets in water to remove any lingering clumps of salt. Allow to cool so they can be peeled.
• Peel beets with a paring knife, starting with the light-colored ones first, so you don't stain them with juice from the darker beets. First cut the root end, then peel the skin. The skin should peel off easily-a sign they're cooked properly. Cut into quarters, or, if they're smaller, leave whole.
• Arrange beets on a platter and serve.

ROASTED GOLDEN BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Peel beets, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Combine olive oil, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add beets, and mix until well coated.
• Spread beets out in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan and roast, flipping half way through, until the beets are tender and starting to turn golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, put beets back into the bowl, and toss with lemon zest.

GARLICKY OVEN-ROASTED BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Line a shallow baking dish with foil.
• Trim and discard beet greens and cut off bottoms. Place beets top-side up in the prepared baking dish.
• Combine olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and honey in a bowl; spoon over beets. Drizzle honey over top.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender and caramelized, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and peel when cool enough to handle.

WHOLE WHEAT SPAGHETTI WITH SOLAR ROASTED BEETS,

Steps:

• Put the beets and 1/4 cup water in a large, dark, light-weight pot. Cover and roast in Sun Oven until soft, about 2 hours. Beets can be made up to 3 days in advance, store the cooked beets in the refrigerator in a covered container. Prepare the sauce while the pasta cooks. Peel the beets and cut them into chunks. Puree them in a food processor. Brown the butter in a 10-inch skillet over high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the poppy seeds and toast about 2 minutes. Add the beet puree, salt, and 1/4 cup pasta water to the skillet. Stir well. Use tongs to transfer the spaghetti directly to the skillet. Stir to combine. Divide pasta among 4 warm plates. Top each serving with goat cheese. Serve immediately. The contrast between the rich redness of the beet sauce and the white cheese makes for a stunning presentation but next time, I think I'll just stir the cheese in with the pasta in the skillet - unless I have guests I want to impress.