beets r yummy

when in season and on the menu, i tend to order beet salads and other dishes featuring beets, but i rarely cook with ‘em. at the rainbow coop the other day i saw piles of golden and purple beets, and decided it was time to learn how to cook the dishes i love.

rather than find a recipe, i decided to “roast” some veggies on the stovetop. i peeled and sliced some beets, cut some carrots, and sliced some onion. into the pot went the onion with some olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar to barely carmelize them. when the onions were soft, i added the beets and carrots, stirred it up good, and added some seasonings. i can’t remember what i added–i think “romero” from spain, which is basically rosemary, but any mild herb or blend would work well. i cooked the veggies on low heat until the veggies were soft, but still had some give. success! the first night i ate this as-is, the next, i added spinach to the pot after turning off the heat, to barely wilt the leaves. this version was my fave. this meal was great for just one person while d is away.

still on the beet train, i found a lovely middle eastern salad in saveur magazine.

Beet and Sumac Salad

soon after i read this recipe, i went to a middle eastern restaurant that happened to feature sumac on all of the tables. remembering the recipe, i tried it. it’s a dark brownish-red powder that’s mildly bitter and a touch citrusy. a person at the table mentioned how much he loves sumac and cooks with it often. when i admitted my curiosity, he offered to share some with me. as a friend of a friend, i didn’t expect to receive the sumac he mentioned, until i saw my buddies soon after and they came with a bag of sumac in hand!

1. cook 3 unpeeled large beets in a large pan of gently boiling water until tender, 30-40 minutes (add a drop or two of red wine vinegar to help set the beets’ color).

2. drain the beets and let cool. peel the beets, then cut into quarters and thinly slice.

3. put the sliced beets, 2 tsp ground sumac, 2 handfuls arugula leaves, and 1 thinly sliced large red onion (i used half a large red onion) into a serving bowl. (i didn’t have arugula, so i used peppery mustard greens and spinach instead)
4. mix 1 cup whole milk yogurt, 1-2 T lemon juice, 2 tsp tahini, 2 crushed cloves garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. pour dressing over the salad and toss gently. serve with a flat bread, such as lavash and olives

ABOUT tahini: tahini tends to go rancid pretty quickly, so i don’t like to keep it on hand for the rare cases i use it. i’ve made tahini in the past (it’s just lightly toasted sesame seeds and olive oil, blended until smooth) so i tried making my own again. i ran into trouble because i wanted to make a small amount–just a few tablespoons. in the past, i made tahini for hummus (ASIDE: homemade hummus is so much better than the store bought stuff!) which required a large quantity of the stuff. this time i made just a few tablespoons, which didn’t work so well in the blender and food processor (i.e. it didn’t get “smooth,” just combined). not to be swayed, i forged ahead. it was still good!