As the months get a touch colder it turns to the time for root vegetables, hearty soups and roughage rich salads – for all of which sous vide can play an exquisite part.
Sous vide not only brings out the best in tender cuts of meat, but has a perfect place pulling flavor out of vegetables while avoiding the nutrient loss which typically comes from frying or boiling. Using sous vide you can guarantee that your veggies are cooked perfectly every time and nutritious to boot.
One of my favorite winter vegetables is beets. This ruby-red root gem is exactly right for salads, soups or even as finger food when pickled.
To get started, make sure you have your vacuum sealer ready, a good sous vide machine, and vacuum sealable some bags. We’ve covered in previous articles why zip-lock just isn’t tip-top.
Ingredients
- 3-4 beets
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
To prepare the beets wash and peel them, reserving the greens for garnishing later. Cut into ¼ inch rounds or 1-inch cubes depending on your preference, but be careful! Beet juice stains everything it touches – from fingers to cutting boards.
Balsamic vinegar is something of a personal touch. Over the dish’s cook time it will sweeten and add a nice counterpoint to the earthy taste of your new ‘beet’ friend.
With your ingredients ready combine the beets, salt, and vinegar in your vacuum sealable bag and place into boiling water set to 185°F / (85°C) and cook for 1-hr. Set a timer and relax with a glass of wine or, maybe even SVG’s own cookbook for sous vide dreamers.
When your timer goes off extract your vacuum sealed balsamic beets from your boiling water. As always, be careful when cutting open the bag. Discard the extra liquid.
Although you can garnish your beets with the stems, feel free to try out fresh arugula for an extra peppery bite. If you cubed your beets then they can be added to beet soup or borscht for texture, eaten as finger food, or put onto skewers with other winter favorites for a healthy vegetable skewer.