Beet Jam Food

ROASTED BEET JAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Peel beets and cut into wedges. Place in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Roast 50-60 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly., Meanwhile, rinse two 1-cup plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of the lemon; stand lemon upright on a cutting board. With a knife, cut off peel and outer membrane from lemon. Cut in half. Thinly slice half of lemon and remove seeds (save remaining half for another use). Place cinnamon and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string., Place beets in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large saucepan. Add sugars, maple syrup, ginger, salt, sliced lemon and spice bag; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until thickened. Remove from heat; discard spice bag. Cool slightly., Fill containers to within 1/2 in. of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 12 months. Thaw frozen jam in refrigerator before serving.

BEET JAM

Steps:

• Wash and peel the beets.
• Put them through a meat grinder or grate them.
• In a pot, barely cover them with water and cook them slowly until they are tender.
• Add the sugar, the ginger, the lemon juice and rind.
• Cook until thick and clear, which will take about an hour.
• Add the chopped nuts.
• Makes about 3 quarts.

BEET JELLY

Steps:

• Peel beets and simmer in water for 30 minutes.
• When beets are tender strain off liquid measuring 4 cups of beet juice.
• Pour into a large pot.
• Stir in lemon juice and pectin.
• Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat.
• Stir in sugar all at once and return to a full, rolling boil and boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and ladle into clean hot stearilized jars leaving 0.125 inch head space and seal.
• I process any jelly for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath even though the recipes don't call for it.

ROASTED SWEET BEET RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the tomato purée, halve the tomatoes and place them, skin side down, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt, garlic, and olive oil. Roast for 1 hour on the bottom shelf of the oven, then remove. Press through a sieve or pass through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds - you'll end up with about 1 1/4 cups of intensely flavored purée.
• Meanwhile, put the beets into a baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast, above the tomatoes, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (longer if necessary), until the skins are blistered, blackened, and loosened. Let cool a little before peeling. You'll find the skins will slide off easily. Coarsely grate the beets (a food processor makes this job easy).
• Put the sugar, vinegars, onion, and horseradish into a large saucepan; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a couple minutes more. Finally, add the grated beets and cook for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Transfer to sterilized jars and seal with vinegar-proof lids (see pp. 21-22). Use within 1 year. Refrigerate once opened.
• P.S.
• It's easy to pickle horseradish root. Just grate enough fresh root to fill a jam jar, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar, top up with cider vinegar, and seal with a lid. Use in sauces, dressings, and soups, and serve with roast beef.