Who knew five pounds of beets would feed us for a week? We have a ruby red soup in the fridge that is brilliant hot or cold, we had the Pepto Bismol colored Beets au Gratin, and now we've had Beet Salad with Citrus, Fennel, and Feta.
Which has to be the ugliest looking mess to ever come out of a kitchen, but tasted so zingy, I had to forgive it. Even if we hadn't eaten it all, there would have been no photos. So far nothing has been as photogenic as chocolate waffles. Which actually might have more to do with the photographer than anything else...
This salad is good when first mixed, but we had it with our lunch again today, and it was twice as good. The fennel was still crunchy, and the citrus had had time to work its juicy magic with the beets...yum.
I'm starting to think of beets as the apple of the root veggie world. Apples pair so well with so many things, and can go from hot to warm to cold; beets are the same. Things I love paired with beets:
*anything salty, like feta cheese
*toasted nuts, especially walnuts
*oranges and other slightly sweet citrus
*crunchy things, like walnuts above, and fennel
*a shot of vinegar
*other root veggies (duh), especially carrots and onions
*mint
*risotto, which I haven't made in a long time but is awesome
Don't get me wrong, beets will never replace tomatoes in my heart, but since most tomatoes right now greatly resemble anemic, red-colored plastic, beets it is! (Until I buy more chard. I love me some chard.)
Beet Salad with Citrus, Fennel, and Feta
(barely) adapted from Bon Appetit
2 large beets, any color 2.5 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large oranges, skin and pith peeled away and segmented over a large bowl to catch the juice for the dressing
1/2 small fennel bulb, cored and very thinly sliced (don't kill yourself about the thinly)
1/4 cup chopped mint 1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts (the recipe called for hazelnuts, but I only like those in Nutella)
salt and pepper 3/4 cup feta
finely chopped shallot, or chopped chives (I used chives; had some getting ready to go)
If roasting the beets (which I recommend, but boiled would be just fine) preheat the oven to 400. Place the beets on a double layer of foil drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap tightly and roast for about 1 hour. Uncover, cool slightly, and peel. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In the bowl with the orange juice, whisk in vinegar and remaining olive oil. Add all other ingredients and toss. If you want the feta to stay white, sprinkle it on right before serving. This is even better if the ingredients have time to meld.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Add a little color to your day...
Until I was about 28 or 29, I labored under the delusion that I didn't like beets. I can be forgiven for this mistake, since I thought they only came in cans; I don't think I saw a real beet until around then. In defense of my mom, most other kids my age probably never did, either. I'm not sure why I tried them again, but hooboy, I'm glad I did.
The greens are brilliant chopped up, sauteed with garlic, onions, olive oil, pine nuts, raisins, and orange zest; either as a side dish or tossed with whole wheat pasta (and maybe a little crispy pancetta, if you live in this house) as a meal. And those brilliant round, reddish purple globes...well. I used to think roasted was just fine thank you.
Silly girl.
Searching for something to do with our ton of remaining beets from our CSA, I came across this recipe from Bon Appetit. It's one of those "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" things. And really, any dish that looks like it's bathed in Pepto Bismol has got to be fun to eat, right? (Don't let the color turn you off. This recipe is brilliant.) I'd post a photo, but, well...we ate them all.
Beet Gratin from Bon Appetit
3 2 1/2-3 in diameter beets, trimmed and scrubbed salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c heavy cream 2 fresh mint sprigs, plus 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh mint reserved
1 smashed, peeled garlic clove (I used large pieces of chives instead, about 2 tbsp)
1/2 c crumbled feta
Preheat oven to 400. Place beets in a small baking dish. Add enough water to reach 1/4 inch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil, bake til tender, about 50 minutes. (Alternatively, you can boil them for about an hour. I had roasted AND boiled in mine...not much of a difference.) Uncover carefully and let cool til you can handle; peel. Cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Adjust oven to 425. Bring cream, mint sprigs, garlic (or chives) to a boil. (Watch carefully, since volcanic cream is not a good thing.) Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
Grease a 1.5 quart gratin or casserole dish. Arrange sliced beets in single layers, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste on each layer. Strain the cream mixture over the beets. Sprinkle with feta. Bake until the cream is bubbling and feta is browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped mint, let stand 5 minutes.
The greens are brilliant chopped up, sauteed with garlic, onions, olive oil, pine nuts, raisins, and orange zest; either as a side dish or tossed with whole wheat pasta (and maybe a little crispy pancetta, if you live in this house) as a meal. And those brilliant round, reddish purple globes...well. I used to think roasted was just fine thank you.
Silly girl.
Searching for something to do with our ton of remaining beets from our CSA, I came across this recipe from Bon Appetit. It's one of those "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" things. And really, any dish that looks like it's bathed in Pepto Bismol has got to be fun to eat, right? (Don't let the color turn you off. This recipe is brilliant.) I'd post a photo, but, well...we ate them all.
Beet Gratin from Bon Appetit
3 2 1/2-3 in diameter beets, trimmed and scrubbed salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c heavy cream 2 fresh mint sprigs, plus 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh mint reserved
1 smashed, peeled garlic clove (I used large pieces of chives instead, about 2 tbsp)
1/2 c crumbled feta
Preheat oven to 400. Place beets in a small baking dish. Add enough water to reach 1/4 inch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil, bake til tender, about 50 minutes. (Alternatively, you can boil them for about an hour. I had roasted AND boiled in mine...not much of a difference.) Uncover carefully and let cool til you can handle; peel. Cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Adjust oven to 425. Bring cream, mint sprigs, garlic (or chives) to a boil. (Watch carefully, since volcanic cream is not a good thing.) Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
Grease a 1.5 quart gratin or casserole dish. Arrange sliced beets in single layers, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste on each layer. Strain the cream mixture over the beets. Sprinkle with feta. Bake until the cream is bubbling and feta is browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped mint, let stand 5 minutes.
Winter, revisited
Is it cheating to start my new blogging by copying and pasting something I posted in a note on Facebook?
Oh well. Here it is:
Clearly, I'm going about this winter business all wrong. Gazing out the sliding glass door to the backyard this morning, staring at the sparkling white (two feet of remaining) snow and the brilliant blue sky, it occurred to me that my focus should be on the positives of winter, not the negatives. Yes, adding school days into June makes me deeply sad; anything that cuts into my time to hang out in the garden and dig in the dirt is at least a little problematic. But, there are things we can do in winter that we wouldn't even dream of doing in summer.
Like eat chocolate waffles for breakfast.
During the summer, who wants to stand in front of a steaming waffle iron for an hour making breakfast? (Well, unless they're jalapeno-corn-cheddar waffles, but that's a different note...) And dessert for breakfast is slightly less tempting when you can't hide behind ski pants and a parka. But on a winter morning when it's 10 degrees outside, I'm all about chocolate waffles. This recipe is from The Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich. The only two changes I made to it: doubled the amount of whole wheat flour and reduced the all-purpose flour by an equal amount, and used 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate and 1 oz bittersweet chocolate. You'll notice there isn't actually any maple syrup in the recipe, but, um...who cares?!
Chocolate Waffles
1 1/3 cup a.p. flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
3 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or bar; if bar, chopped
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 c milk
2 eggs, beaten until frothy and then poured into milk
1. Preheat a waffle iron and grease it lightly. Combine the flours, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Set aside.
2. Combine the butter, chocolate, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt over very low heat. Whisk to smooth, remove from heat, and whisk in milk mixture.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the chocolate mixture, and blend just until everything comes together; watch out for floury lumps. Let the batter stand for a few minutes; it will thicken.
4. Cook the batter in the prepared waffle iron until crisp and golden; about two-three minutes. Keep warm in a low oven. (I used a heaping 1/4 cup of batter for each fourth of the waffle iron, but each waffle iron is different so play with the amount you add.)
Oh well. Here it is:
Clearly, I'm going about this winter business all wrong. Gazing out the sliding glass door to the backyard this morning, staring at the sparkling white (two feet of remaining) snow and the brilliant blue sky, it occurred to me that my focus should be on the positives of winter, not the negatives. Yes, adding school days into June makes me deeply sad; anything that cuts into my time to hang out in the garden and dig in the dirt is at least a little problematic. But, there are things we can do in winter that we wouldn't even dream of doing in summer.
Like eat chocolate waffles for breakfast.
During the summer, who wants to stand in front of a steaming waffle iron for an hour making breakfast? (Well, unless they're jalapeno-corn-cheddar waffles, but that's a different note...) And dessert for breakfast is slightly less tempting when you can't hide behind ski pants and a parka. But on a winter morning when it's 10 degrees outside, I'm all about chocolate waffles. This recipe is from The Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich. The only two changes I made to it: doubled the amount of whole wheat flour and reduced the all-purpose flour by an equal amount, and used 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate and 1 oz bittersweet chocolate. You'll notice there isn't actually any maple syrup in the recipe, but, um...who cares?!
Chocolate Waffles
1 1/3 cup a.p. flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
3 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or bar; if bar, chopped
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 c milk
2 eggs, beaten until frothy and then poured into milk
1. Preheat a waffle iron and grease it lightly. Combine the flours, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Set aside.
2. Combine the butter, chocolate, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt over very low heat. Whisk to smooth, remove from heat, and whisk in milk mixture.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the chocolate mixture, and blend just until everything comes together; watch out for floury lumps. Let the batter stand for a few minutes; it will thicken.
4. Cook the batter in the prepared waffle iron until crisp and golden; about two-three minutes. Keep warm in a low oven. (I used a heaping 1/4 cup of batter for each fourth of the waffle iron, but each waffle iron is different so play with the amount you add.)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve
There is still a lot of snow on the ground from the storm last weekend. We got about a foot and some. I don't know how much will be left by tomorrow, because it is raining. I can't remember if I have had a "White Christmas" since I moved here or not. Actually, since three of them were spent elsewhere, I don't think I have. It would be nice, but it is also nice to have a sunny Christmas, so we can walk the dogs.
It has been an interesting year. For the first time in my adult life, "THE ECONOMY" has been something tangible and worrisome, and for the first time in a long time, I don't have to say to people, "I didn't vote for him!" Because I DID vote for him, and Obama's taking office somehow makes me feel like, even though things will be tough, there is hope ahead. When we travel overseas this February, I won't be embarrassed to admit I'm an American, and feel like I have to defend myself.
My biggest goal for the next few days: attract as many birds as I can to our yard. We have a cardinal pair visiting again, and I'm hoping that when it's time they'll nest with us.
Here's to getting back to what's important.
It has been an interesting year. For the first time in my adult life, "THE ECONOMY" has been something tangible and worrisome, and for the first time in a long time, I don't have to say to people, "I didn't vote for him!" Because I DID vote for him, and Obama's taking office somehow makes me feel like, even though things will be tough, there is hope ahead. When we travel overseas this February, I won't be embarrassed to admit I'm an American, and feel like I have to defend myself.
My biggest goal for the next few days: attract as many birds as I can to our yard. We have a cardinal pair visiting again, and I'm hoping that when it's time they'll nest with us.
Here's to getting back to what's important.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Time Lapse
Time becomes more fluid when school starts. I lose track of how much I have left in class, how much has passed since I started to make dinner, how close it is to my bedtime. And so it is almost Thanksgiving...
This year is good. Challenging and busy, but good. I have students who work without complaining, which is a nice change from last year. But the most amazing thing I witnessed came Monday night at our parent report card conferences. I host portfolio conferences; the student comes in with his or her parent and leads them through the work in their portfolio. I have done these 10 times in the last five years, and they are usually successful. The parents love the close look at what their kids are doing, and the kids love the extra credit.
But this Monday, for the first time, I witnessed the majority of parents and children enjoying their time together. This was not a chore, or JUST an extra credit opportunity. This was a real conversation, with laughter, and explaining, and questions. And that was the norm, versus the exception.
What an amazing thing to see.
This year is good. Challenging and busy, but good. I have students who work without complaining, which is a nice change from last year. But the most amazing thing I witnessed came Monday night at our parent report card conferences. I host portfolio conferences; the student comes in with his or her parent and leads them through the work in their portfolio. I have done these 10 times in the last five years, and they are usually successful. The parents love the close look at what their kids are doing, and the kids love the extra credit.
But this Monday, for the first time, I witnessed the majority of parents and children enjoying their time together. This was not a chore, or JUST an extra credit opportunity. This was a real conversation, with laughter, and explaining, and questions. And that was the norm, versus the exception.
What an amazing thing to see.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Shopping...
is fun again. It has been raining here since Friday morning, and Saturday afternoon I needed to get out of the house. I wanted to walk, and we needed to replace some kitchen equipment, so we went to the mall. I had recently gotten the Land's End catalogue, and there were some cute winter things I wanted to look for; we headed into Sears. Discovery: I don't fit in the "plus" sized clothes anymore!!!!! I bought some "misses" shirts from Land's End, and a pair of jeans, the first in about three years, and some cute "palazzo style" pants at J.Jill--and I didn't have to get size XL! I'm not melting or anything, but it sure is nice to know that I'm gradually shrinking down to a healthier size. Hopefully this realization will get me through the "It's Fall and I need to eat and pack on fat for winter" phase I go through every year at this time...
Friday, September 26, 2008
Teaching is kicking my tail...
Whew. It's been an intense four weeks. I have five classes with three preps this year, which is a first for me. It's fine, but I REALLY have to be organized. The good news is, I feel like I'm "on my game" this year, and I love my kids. And I'm still in love with our new 8th grade administrator.
I've been cooking up a storm to relax, recharge and focus. Lots of putting by for winter: roasted peppers, more tomato sauces, baked goods, and defrostable meals are packed into the freezers. I'm hoping they'll help save me on those winter days that all I want to do is crawl into bed as soon as I get home from work. I highly recommend finding a recipe for peach-pecan scones. I found it online and it is just amazing.
Sadly, as summer turns to autumn, my body is kicking into,"EAT, EAT, EAT," mode. It's like some ancient DNA is telling me to pack on the fat for the winter months. I never noticed this when I lived in Florida (though I suppose if it really is some kind of instinctive thing, it wouldn't kick in in the sub-tropics). I find myself fighting the urge...and frequently losing. If I ate any more carbs today I'd turn into a noodle.
Marge Piercy has a great poem on the topic in her book Mars and Her Children (can't remember the title--read the whole thing, it's great!). She really is one of my favorite poets ever.
I've been cooking up a storm to relax, recharge and focus. Lots of putting by for winter: roasted peppers, more tomato sauces, baked goods, and defrostable meals are packed into the freezers. I'm hoping they'll help save me on those winter days that all I want to do is crawl into bed as soon as I get home from work. I highly recommend finding a recipe for peach-pecan scones. I found it online and it is just amazing.
Sadly, as summer turns to autumn, my body is kicking into,"EAT, EAT, EAT," mode. It's like some ancient DNA is telling me to pack on the fat for the winter months. I never noticed this when I lived in Florida (though I suppose if it really is some kind of instinctive thing, it wouldn't kick in in the sub-tropics). I find myself fighting the urge...and frequently losing. If I ate any more carbs today I'd turn into a noodle.
Marge Piercy has a great poem on the topic in her book Mars and Her Children (can't remember the title--read the whole thing, it's great!). She really is one of my favorite poets ever.
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