I really, really wanted to purchase a farm share this year, and I really, really could not justify coughing up the money in advance instead of paying it out in dribs and drabs at my weekly farmers market trips. Serendipitously, a dear and generous friend came to me with an offer; if I could pick up her weekly bags of vegetables from the spot that she struggles to get to because of her work schedule, my payment would be to take home a bag for myself of the fresh goodies that she doesn’t ever manage to finish herself anyway. Yes yes YES! And thank you thank you THANK YOU! This week’s haul included spring onions, zucchini, beets, broccoli, potatoes, green beans and red cabbage. Here is what I am thinking thus far.
Potato and green bean salad with a tarragon and spring onion vinaigrette
Shredded red cabbage and spring onion slaw with mango, rice wine vinegar, sugar, cilantro and a little toasted sesame oil. And maybe some chilis.
Mini pizzas on whole wheat naan with caramelized onions, fig jam, and prosciutto and done either with ricotta, goat cheese or organic mozzarella… because I happen to have all three, and because that is the beauty of the mini pizza… you get to make it ALL!
The zucchini will just be eaten sliced raw and dipped in hummus, and the broccoli will probably be snacked on raw as well. I am struggling in regards to the beets. I do not. like. beets. Especially the red ones. I grabbed them for the greens and can’t let them go to waste, so I will probably roast them (while dying from the heat of roasting something in the oven in July) and throw them over arugula with goat cheese, pistachios, and some balsamic vinegar. And hold my nose when I take a bite that is mostly beet. And make faces even though no one will be around to see me. Maybe I will post a photograph of my terrible beet-eating face on here, just for fun. I am also considering shredding one of them for a beet tzatziki, which I have had before at Sofra and can somewhat admit to enjoying, but I like beetless tzatziki more so I just don’t know if I can bring myself to do it.
Any other suggestions for making beets palatable are greatly appreciated.
6 Comments
I Love Beets! Grill them! Yum.
And your farm share deal is SWEET. We did one ourselves this year. Having a hard time eating all the veggies each week though. So much kale.
I don’t have a grill, sadly.
Maybe you could dye something with the beets rather than eating them? I hear “pinkish tones” and “plummy notes” are all the rage http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-dye-hair-with-beet-juice-a243654.
Oh man, that would be so “Fiona in 1991″ it’s not even funny. Ok no, it’s funny
how fortuitous! man do i miss having a csa, i just don’t have the time to pick one up myself (or the money really, but i did back when it was buy-in season).
what is it that you hate about beets? i used to loathe them because i eat with my eyes, and they make everything the same color (borscht syndrome – still can’t get into borscht). then i grew up and discovered chioggia beets (the pink and white striped ones), golden beets (still stainy, but not nearly so bad), and white beets, and my life changed. i’ve managed to work backwards and now i love the red varieties too.
sounds like your problem is the taste though, no? “beet recipes for beet haters” (ha!) returned a few things:
http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/beet-salad/ (not sure this would work for you)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/559139 (ignore the recipe at the top and read on)
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/beet-recipes-even-a-beet-hater-can-love/ (maybe the times knows?)
http://themessyapron.blogspot.com/2010/02/hidden-beets.html (looks yummy to me, not sure if it’ll work for you)
http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/chocolate-beet-cake-with-spiced-creme-anglaise-recipe/ (yum!)
not sure if this helps, but good luck.
r
I almost like the golden ones, and that’s what I got this week so yay. Thanks for the recipe links tho… some really good ideas. I’m thinking raw and in a light citrusy salad is the way to go.