Red as a beet

Cinzia Cuneo 1 luglio, 2010 ricette, verdure

Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on July 12, 2008.

The beet owes its beautiful red color to a class of pigments known as betalains, which give it such a marked color and are also used industrially for making dyes.

We can also find yellow and white beets. The white one is specially used for making sugar and that’s why it is called “sugar beet”. The beet belongs to the list of top ten vegetables that have the best antioxidant potential.

Its leaves, which are also edible, are rich in vitamins A and K. This root vegetable is consumed pretty much everywhere in the world, in moderate climates. This week, I offer you beets in a salad and in a soup.

For the salad, I advise to you to cook the beet with its skin to minimize the loss of nutrients. It is easier to peel when it has been cooked.

Try our beet salad or soup:

• Beet and Green Apple Salad
• Beet Soup

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.