beets and their leaves

On my way home I decided to purchase a bunch of beets from the union square farmer's market. I love their sweet taste. Once I had them cooking away in boiling water (skins on to prevent excess nutrient and pigment loss) I realized that I had never used the leaves of beets. Not wanting to dispose of these somewhat bitter-tasting green leaves with purple stems and roots, I searched the internet for beet-leaf recipes. I came across one that reminded me of a simple recipe we used for kale, spinach and other leafy greens in my Food Science Lab (ie cooking class): olive oil and garlic. This online recipe recommended, among others, some red chili flakes and onions, which I decided to incorporate. I sauteed the little onion pieces I had, added chili flakes, and because I was out of garlic cloves, added onion and garlic powder. I then added some water, the bite-sized beet leaves (no stems) and a lid. After a few minutes of steaming they were finished. The sweet beets and the spicy, garlicky beet leaves were quite a contrast and delicious!