Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Roasted Golden Beet and Asparagus Salad with Baby Spinach

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In the spirit of trying new things and getting out of the ol' recipe rut, I bring you golden beets.

Wait, BEETS? Seriously?

I have a sort of embarrassing confession to make relating to beets: I have never tried them. Not even once. Beets have just never been very far up on my "must-try-before-I-die" list. All of experiences with beets has been limited to the mushy, limp variety which comes in a can, and I'm sorry but I am NOT about to put flaccid purple mystery-vegetable into my mouth. I can think of approximately 500 other things on my "must-try" list I would like to have before canned beets.

Golden Roasted Beets


Leave it to Alice Waters, she of Chez Panisse fame, the godmother of Californian cuisine and the slow-food movement, to change my mind. It seems that President Obama does not care for beets either. But Alice, well, she would like to change that. She said, and I quote, "I would like to serve him some golden beets sometime that were roasted in the oven, that were not overcooked, that were dressed with a lovely little vinaigrette, maybe even diced in a salad. Squeeze 'em with a little lime. It's fantastically nutritious."

Um, that sounds kind of good. Maybe I have written off a vegetable as bland and mushy when it is, in fact, delicious and flavorful in its fresh, uncanned, unprocessed state?


Five Golden Beets


We picked these beauties up at the farmer's market last Friday. They are so PRETTY! But did they taste good? Well, when we got home, we trolled the internet to figure out how to prepare them (apparently, they taste best roasted). I was going to make a salad out of Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food, but it seems I left 1/2 my order at the farmer's market and didn't have enough. So I made this recipe up. And you know what? It was REALLY good. We were both surprised by how much we like beets. They have an earthy flavor that paired really well with asparagus, spinach, feta cheese, and a tangy cumin-yogurt sauce. I totally recommend you try them. You know, just in case you have never tried beets either and want to give them a chance.


Golden Roasted Beet Salad






Roasted Golden beet and Asparagus Salad with Baby Spinach, Feta, and Cumin-Yogurt Dressing

This is great "spring" food - all of these vegetables should be (theoretically) available at your farmer's market. I used rice noodles (making the dish gluten free), but if you want to use regular noodles I'm sure it will taste great too.

Ingredients
5 small - medium sized golden beets
1 large bunch asparagus
2 handfuls of baby spinach (about 1/2 a pound, or 1/2 a bag pre-packed)
1 lb rice pasta in a small shape (not spaghetti)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek or European style whole milk yogurt, plain
2 tbs white balsamic vinegar or other tasty vinegar
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 glug olive oil




FIRST - preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to boil in a large pot, and cook your noodles. If you are making rice noodles, be sure to rinse thoroughly, they are hella starchy.


Roasted Golden Beets
thoroughly scrub the beets, and cut off the green tops (supposedly these are edible too, but the top of my beets didn't look too pretty, and I was being daring enough for one day). Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast about 45 minutes, until beets can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.


Roasted Asparagus
Cut the ends off the asparagus and cut into 1" sections. Toss asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper on a large rimmed baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes until tender and bright green. Remove from oven and let cool.



Roasted Golden Beets
Slip the skins off of the beets. They should tear away easily.



Roasted Golden Beets
Slice into thin wedges.



Golden Roasted Beet Salad
In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, vinegar, cumin, and cayenne pepper. In a larger bowl, combine this dressing with noodles, beets, asparagus, fresh spinach, feta cheese, and dressing. Toss liberally to coat.



Golden Roasted Beet Salad
Enjoy!

10 comments:

  1. Do you know of any good farmer's markets in my area? (Real ones?) I'm near Fullerton and Brea.

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  2. THat looks amazing!! I'm actually on a beets kick right now too. I think once I tried beets done well (with peas and scallops - the most amazing food I had ever had in my life so far) I could contemplate getting the canned variety. But I now have an incentive to try them roasted - thanks!! (Hi, btw! I remember you told me about your blog before and I'm glad I found it again :))

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  3. Hi Emily!

    There is a farmer's market on Tuesday evenings in downtown Brea, and there are tow in Fullerton, one on Thursday evenings, and one on Wednesday mornings. If anyone else is wondering where the farmer's market is in your area, go to this website and use their "search" feature - you should be able to find one near you in no time!

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  4. http://farmersmarket.com/

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  5. What a great blog! I love food blogs so I'll definitely add you to my list!

    And thanks for your comments on my blog...I just want you to know that even though I came across as a heartless b*$@#, I'm really not...just sick of waiting in the infertility game & sick of everyone else getting their chance (or two or three) before me...I am happy for them and will congratulate them, even though I sulk and complain and cry behind closed doors (or out in the open on my blog).

    I hope you'll come back for more - I promise I'm not always so depressing!!!

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  6. This certainly looks delish! I'm going to try it sometime soon.

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  7. This is also a really helpful site: http://www.localharvest.org/

    You can search for farmer's market, actual farms, CSAs, restaurants that feature local food, etc.

    And those beets look great! I've always hated beets, but I've never tried them like that!

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  8. Hi boys!!
    The real food is a delight to the palate is the recipe for Roasted Beet and Asparagus Salad Golden with Baby Spinach, Feta, and Cumin-Yogurt Dressing. thanks for sharing but frankly I would change the ingredient of the yogurt.

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