Thyme (Recipe: honey-roasted beets with orange and thyme)

If, on some stormy December day, you look out the window and see a figure hunched over, scarf wrapped around her face, fogged-up red glasses, pink fuzzy gloves, nippers in hand, digging through the snow where she thought she remembered planting thyme last summer, you'll be looking at me.

I love thyme -- the herb that marries so well with potatoes and eggs and tomatoes and beans and beef -- and it breaks my heart to buy it at the market, when all summer long I enjoy an abundant harvest from my garden. I try to remember to dry some each Fall, in the drying screen Ted made out of an old window frame, but as much as I dry, it's never enough.

So, yes, I would rather forage for frozen thyme in my garden, or buy good-quality dried thyme from a reliable vendor like Penzeys, than spend a penny on the uninspired, aroma-free, weak-stemmed, overmisted, no-flavor thyme in the grocery store.

The name thyme derives from the Greek work thymon, meaning "to fumigate," and also from thymus, meaning "courage" -- both clues to some of the earliest uses for this herb. Thyme was burned, like sage, to drive away evil spirits -- and, more literally, to drive away evil odors and stinging insects. Some believed that fairies lived in beds of thyme, so many gardeners would plant thyme in the garden.

In the first spring after we moved to this house, I planted both English thyme (the most common desirable culinary thyme, and a mainstay of bouquet garni and herbes de provence) and abundantly-fragrant lemon thyme, and though I haven't seen any fairies, I've seen plenty of happy bees and butterflies feasting on the plants.

When you purchase dried thyme, buy from a vendor that has a lot of turnover, so the herb will be fresh. Good-quality dried leaves are grayish-green, and a package full of stems indicates an inferior quality. Dried thyme, stored in an airtight container (or in the freezer) away from heat and light, will last for up to a year. If a recipe calls for fresh herbs and you only have dried, use half the amount of dried that the recipe suggests: i.e., for 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, substitute 1 tablespoon of dried.

HONEY-ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGE AND THYME
One of Ted's favorite ways to eat beets, this simple recipe serves 4.

4 large beets, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup orange juice, or the juice of 3-4 oranges
2 tsp fresh chopped thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme leaf
2-3 Tbsp honey or agave nectar, to taste
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place beets in a nonstick roasting pan, and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover with aluminum foil and bake, stirring occasionally to keep beets from sticking, for 45 minutes, or until beets pierced with a sharp knife are tender all the way through.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Frittata with broccoli and garden herbs
Beef stew
My own meat sauce
Brick-grilled chicken breasts or thighs
Mediterranean red snapper

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Comments

[Marcia]

Cold, full moon....Perfect day for the beets..thanks> I have a dollop of tangerine honey that was waiting for this recipe.

[Pille]

Definitely going to try this interesting beetroot recipe soon. Thank you!!

[Anh]

I do have some dried thyme on hand. Also, my thyme in the pot grows quite well, too. Love the sound of the beet dish. I always look out for a good recipe for beetroot.

[radish]

Mmm... I love all things thyme, but even more than the recipe (which sounds lovely btw) is the fact that you are keeping the thyme in a jar - which is a great way to recycle something that could deliver quite a bit of use still! I think I'm stealing your idea to put some star anise in my Bonne Maman preserves jar!

[Meg Wolff]

Mmmmm ... I love beets too.

[Kalyn]

I'm laughing at the description of you digging in the snow because I've been known to go out and look for herbs when they're covered with snow too. I've had good luck with freezing thyme, but the idea of keeping dried thyme in the freezer is a good one too. Never tried drying my own, I should try that.

[T.W. Barritt]

So interesting that thyme was used to drive evil spirits away. I'd be running in the direction of the fire if I smelled thyme!

[Nora]

Interesting info on thyme, Lydia. And thanks for this recipe, you already know that I love beets. We are lucky that since our winters are considered mild compared to the US, some herbs like thyme grows all year round in our garden.

[rebekka]

1. bless Penzey's heart for being so reliable.
2. I MUST try that beet recipe...wow!

[Paz]

I like thyme. Never had it with beets... Hmm...

Paz

[Lydia]

Marcia, tangerine honey sounds perfect for this dish. How did it turn out?

Pille, this dish has a wonderful sweetness -- and I know you love beets!

Anh, I've never tried bringing in some of my thyme. I leave it in the garden, and every year it rewards me by peeking its head up in the spring.

Radish, I decant lots of my spices into used jars. Some people like an orderly spice rack, with jars that are all the same size and shape. Not me! I also learn which spices go in which shape jars, so I can reach for them quickly when I'm cooking.

Meg, beets are truly yummy.

Kalyn, in the winter when I have to buy dried herbs, I buy from Penzeys in large quantity. I keep a small amount in the jar above, and the rest in the freezer. Works quite well.

TW, I'd run towards the fire, too. In fact, we often toss the twigs of herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon) on top of fires in our fire pit.

Nora, it would be so nice to have a year-round herb garden, but here in New England, our herbs spend winter under a snow blanket. They do seem to like it!

Rebekka, hooray for Penzeys -- you already know they are one of my favorite sources. These beets are simple, and delicious. (We also make them with maple syrup.)

Paz, do give it a try. It's a great combination, as are beets and tarragon.

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

I do love thyme. But I am so with you on the fresh from the garden. I really feel rich if I can pick my own.

[Christine (myplateoryours)]

Too funny -- that's me too digging around in the snow for the thyme, only I am frequently under-dressed (and sometimes barefoot) because I am sure it's only going to take me a quick second to find it. Hah! This recipe sounds yummy. I like beets anyway, but this sounds great.

[peabody]

What a lovely way to serve beets.

[Patricia Scarpin]

Lydia, you won't believe but I think I have never cooked with thyme - it's about time I started!
And this recipe... I love beets!

[veron]

We nearly lost our thyme plant last year and had to buy thyme from the supermarket while we let it recuperate. Love Penzey's spices too!

[Katie]

I love lemon thyme - I like to stuff the sprigs inside small fish before grilling...
I was just doing the winter herb trimming today - thyme and marjoram....Such a pleasant, fragrant job!
Beets sound good, too!

[Lydia]

MyKitchen, I think having an herb garden has spoiled me. I seldom buy herbs in the market in winter, because they never seem to hold a candle to my own.

Christine, barefoot??? Hah! (I have been known to run out in my pajamas, though....)

Peabody, we do these with maple syrup too for a more "Canadian" version!

Patricia, thyme is my very favorite herb. It is so versatile, and it grows easily in the garden. I hope you will try some, maybe with tomatoes or potatoes.

Veron, my thyme plants were in a slump two summers ago, but revived nicely this year (especially when I threatened them with removal from the garden!).

Katie, the lemon thyme is something I put into the garden two or three years ago -- before then, I'd never used it. I love it with fish and in salad dressing. My garden is pretty well in winter mode now; only the thyme, some sage, and rosemary are still available for harvest. It usually takes a couple of snowfalls before those are gone for the year.

[casey]

many thanks for the beets recipe. My husband grows a ton of them and loves them deeply. I would not care if I never had another, but kindly and generously and fix them for him. Occasionally.

[Mimi]

You've reminded me I must go foraging in my own garden before the thyme dies back. I use a ton of thyme and I could always use more, pun intended.

[Lydia]

Casey, my husband loves beets much more than I do, too, but every now and then I add them to a salad and remember just how delicious they are.

Mimi, I'm giggling! I could always use more thyme (pun intended), too.

[Kamini]

Ooh, I love beets, and I love oranges and I love thyme...so this recipe sounds delicious, and I will try it for dinner tonight!
Kamini

[Lydia]

Kamini, I do hope you enjoy this.

[ann]

I've always claimed sage as my favorite herb, but over the past couple of years, thyme has surely shoved it aside, becoming the most common herb I cook with in my kitchen. I still love sage, but thyme... There's something so wonderful about it, maybe it's the fairy dust. Thanks for this recipe Lydia! It sounds amazing!