Beet

Let me tell you about the beet, and why it behaves the way it does in your pot.

A beet is a root, and it carries a sweetness even raw — 8.79 grams of carbs in every 100 grams. Boil it, and taste a sliver before you pull it out: it should taste round and sweet, not raw. You will know it is done by feel too: a knife should slide in without resistance, and the kitchen will smell of warm earth, not grass.

Choose a beet the way you choose a good apple. It should feel heavy for its size, firm, with no give under your thumb. The skin should be smooth and dry, without soft spots. Smell it — fresh earth, nothing sour.

Some people say to peel and trim the beet before it goes in the pot, to save a few minutes. No! Leave the skin on and the root end untouched. Peel or cut a beet before boiling, and watch — the water turns red while the beet itself fades. This mistake leaves cooks with stained hands and a beet that tastes washed-out and watery, having given away its colour and its flavour before it ever reached the bowl.

One beet, by the way, weighs about 200 grams raw. Remember that when you plan a borscht for six.