Beetroot

Used in 3 recipes on RecipeWiki.

Beetroot is the deep red root behind several of the best-known dishes of Eastern European cooking, and this page covers it raw, to be cooked at home rather than bought ready-cooked. Its flavour is sweet and earthy, often described as tasting faintly of soil, and it softens to a dense, velvety texture. It colours Borscht, forms a layer of Herring Under a Fur Coat, and turns everything in Vinegret pink. Boil or roast it whole in its skin, with the root and a little stem left on, so it does not bleed; the skin then rubs off easily once cool. A splash of acid keeps the red bright in soup, and gloves save your hands from staining.