Beet it.

I really dig beets. Seriously. I am crazy for them in any shape or form. A recent discussion with a friend (you know who you are) went something like this:
me: "I love beets."
her: "I didn't develop a taste for them until I tasted real beets, not those nasty things in a can."
me: "Hmmmm, nope, I love those too."
Really-canned, pickled, fresh-I am not discriminating when it comes to beets. Just let me at 'em.

Over the weekend, I picked up big bunches of purple and golden beets. Tonight, after boiling the beets and peeling their skins off, I tossed them in a cast iron skillet with their greens. A little olive oil and a little balsamic yielded a dreamy dish for our dinner.

Coincidentally, just after we finished consuming these beauties, the same friend called with this query: "Hey, we went to the farmers' market today and picked up some beets with the greens. Now, how do I cook the greens?" Funny you should ask.......

Here is another one of my "sort've recipes". It goes something like this.

Sauteed Beets and Greens

-slice greens off a bunch of  beets and remove any extra stalk or unsightly greens, then wash them well

-trim ends of roots (that's the beet part)

-place beets in saucepan and cover with water

-bring to boil and simmer until beets are tender (this means you can pierce them easily with a fork)

-when they're cooked, you can just slip their skins right off (do this under cold running water)

*once the beets are prepared like this, they're ready for anything! Toss them cold into a salad, roast them in the oven or add them to a saute*

-now....back to the greens

-pour about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a cast iron skillet (or any large saucepan)

-heat on medium until oil starts to warm

-add beet greens and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper

-greens will cook down fairly quickly, just keep tossing them around the pan until they start to wilt

-push the greens to the sides of the pan in a circle, then add halved beets to the center

-saute for 2-3 minutes, then drizzle in a Tablespoon or so of balsamic vinegar

-mix it all together and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the greens are nice and wilty.