Quick Harvard Beets

It's the devil's own job to harvar beets if you start with a bunch of fresh beets. If you start with pickled or canned beets, it's much easier, and no one will be able to tell the difference.

Pickled Beets

This is for a one pound jar of Aunt Nellie's Pickled Beets. (NB: Eight ounces of that pound is water, so that's some mighty expensive beets.)

• 1/4 cup vinegar (I like cider vinegar, but white vinegar also works.)
• 1/3 cup sugar (Use a half cup for sweet beets, less for less sweet. Start with 1/3 cup and adjust.)
• 2 tb butter, cut into about four bits
• 4 tsp cornstarch

Buy pickled sliced beets, or pickled whole beets and dice them yourself, a messy job if ever there was.

Put the vinegar in a large measuring cup, then add the juice from the beets, but not more than 1 cup total. Add water if necessary to make 1 cup.

Bring the liquid and sugar to a simmer, Put the cornstarch in 1 or 2 ounces of water, stir unitl mixed, and add it to the simmering mixture. Stir frequently until the liquid returns to a boil and clarifies. Cook for two minutes.

Add the butter pieces and stir until the butter is dissolved.

Add the beets and cook until hot through, perhaps three minutes.

Canned Beets

Canned beets are steam-cooked during the canning process, and will be softer than pickled beets. Which to use depends on your personal preference. Because there's no pickling brine, this recipe uses more vinegar and adds salt.

• 1/3 cup vinegar (I like cider vinegar, but white vinegar also works.)
• 1/3 cup sugar (Use a half cup for sweet beets, less for less sweet. Start with 1/3 cup and adjust.)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt added to the liquid when cooking
• 2 tb butter, cut into about four bits
• 4 tsp cornstarch

Follow the preparation instructions above.

 

Last updated: 2021-02-01 12:50
Orignially posted: 2021-01-10