(Courtesy of The Complete Leafy Greens Cookbook by Susan Sampson © 2013 www.robertrose.ca. Reprinted with publisher permission.)

Makes about 1- ¾ cups.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2 or 3 small to medium beets (8 oz.), scrubbed

1 cup finely chopped beet leaves and stems (2 oz.)

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Place beets in a greased baking dish, cover and roast in preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender but firm. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Using a chef’s knife, trim, peel and cut beets into ½-inch cubes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Scatter beet leaves and stems over top.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Immediately pour mixture over beets and greens; stir to coat evenly. Transfer to an airtight container, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow beets to pickle before serving.

Tips: Choose smaller beets as they are less fibrous and take less time to cook. To avoid staining your hands, use gloves when handling beets. When roasting or boiling beets, it’s simplest to leave the skin on and just give them a good scrub before cooking. After cooking, the skins should slip right off. When cooking beets whole, leave the rat-tail root (tap root), and about ½-inch of stem attached. This reduces loss of nutrients and leakage of color.

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