Beets, Four Ways
Beets, Four Ways
Dorie Greenspan, author of Around My French Table, shares her favorite ways to prep colorful, luscious beets—take your pick!
Ingredients:
1 pound beets of your choice, such as Chioggia or red
Prep:
Cut beets loose from greens, leaving an inch of the stalk; save the greens for another use. (The greens are excellent sautéed with garlic, red pepper flakes and olive oil—eat as a stand-alone side dish, or enjoy with the rest of the beets!) Scrub beets under running water, using a vegetable brush if you have it.
Methods:
1. Roasted: Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 425°. Put the beets in a baking dish, pour in a few spoonfuls of water, cover the dish with foil and stab a little hole in it. Roast for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets, until you can pierce easily with a knife. Peel once cool enough to handle.
2. Steamed: Arrange a steam basket in a saucepan and add enough water to come to about 1 inch under the basket. Add beets, cover the pan and steam over medium-high heat until beets can be easily pierced with a knife, about 20-30 minutes for small beets and up to 1 hour for large ones. Peel once cool enough to handle.
3. Boiled: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in beets and boil them until tender. Drain and peel once cool enough to handle.
4. Microwaved: Put beets into microwave-safe container with a few drops of water, cover and cook on high power for 10 minutes. Remove the beets once they are tender enough to be pierced easily with a knife. (If they are still too firm, cook in 30-second spurts until done). Cool and peel.
Once prepped, add to a salad or toss with your favorite fresh herbs and vinaigrette and enjoy!
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Rainbow Swiss Chard with Parmesan
Nutty parmesan and rich butter add nuanced flavor to Swiss chard in this easy stovetop recipe from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds fresh rainbow Swiss chard
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Sea salt
Method:
1. Pull chard leaves from the ribs (save ribs for another purpose); tear leaves into large chunks. Wash the leaves and cook until tender in a large pot of salted water, about 4 minutes or so.
2. Drain the leaves and cool, then squeeze out most of the water out and coarsely chop.
3. Melt the butter in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chopped chard and salt to taste. Heat through and add a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve warm.
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Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
Drizzled with our creamy housemade dressing, this crisp salad is topped with fresh blue cheese and earthy, toasted Northwest hazelnuts for a flavorful finish.
Ingredients:
1 head baby romaine lettuce
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
½ cup crumbled Westward Blue cheese (included in box)
Westward Blue cheese dressing (included in box)
Method:
1. Wash lettuce and pat dry with paper towels. Trim root section and cut head in half lengthwise.
2. Pile greens on a serving platter and top with chopped hazelnuts and crumbled blue cheese, then drizzle with dressing. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.
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Braised Chard with Sweet Onions
Gorgeous young red chard takes center stage in this meltingly tender side dish from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters. Try it simply sautéed with onion and olive oil, or customize your own version by adding minced garlic, freshly-squeezed lemon or pan-fried pancetta.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh young red or green chard
1 large sweet onion
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Separate chard leaves and ribs. Wash, drain and cut leaves into a rough chiffonade.
2. Slice a large sweet onion and start it stewing in some olive oil in a pot large enough to hold all the chard leaves.
3. After the onion softens, add the chard leaves, season with salt and pepper, cover and stew for 20 to 3o minutes, stirring every so often.
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Brussels Sprouts Pasta
Tossed with garlic, red onion and red pepper flakes, sautéed sprouts add sweet, nutty appeal to this comforting seasonal pasta from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters.
Ingredients:
4 cups Brussels sprouts
½ cup chopped red onion
3 cloves peeled garlic
1 pound pasta (farfalle, penne or orrechiette)
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cut the stem out of each sprout and separate the leaves. (Thinly slice the tiny hearts if you can’t tease apart all the leaves.) Fill a large pot with salted water for the pasta; once boiling, add the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan, add a little olive oil, toss in the sprout leaves, salt and pepper to taste and sauté for about a minute over very high heat.
3. Add red onion and a pinch of hot pepper flakes and continue to sauté until sprouts are tender and a little browned, 2-5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and toss in garlic. (If garlic appears to be browning, add a splash of water to the pan.) Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the sprouts, and once pasta is done, drain and add to pan and toss together. Adjust seasonings to taste; serve drizzled with high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
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Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Pancetta
An easy and delicious way to prepare these tiny potatoes!
Ingredients:
10-12 fingerling potatoes
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Pancetta or bacon (if desired)
1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley or other fresh herbs
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° to 375°.
2. Toss the potatoes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until coated. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven.
3. Roast the potatoes, shaking the pan occasionally, until they are tender and browned, approximately 35 to 45 minutes or until tender.
4. Leave whole or cut in half. They are ready to serve, but you can jazz them up with one of these ideas:
5. Sauté pancetta or bacon with a little olive oil until crispy – toss with the roasted potatoes and fresh parsley or other fresh herbs.
Add a dash of cayenne to spice things up, or toss with other roasted vegetables, like sautéed mushrooms, or spinach with a squeeze of lemon juice or splash of sherry vinegar.
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Have our fresh Farm & Larder goods hand-delivered to your home each week.