how to eat a beet--part I

To me, beets are dirty.
I mean, the taste dirty...but not like they come from the tuvalet.

They taste like dirt.
But, in a good way. Somehow.

Do you know what I mean?


A lot of people fear the beet. There are all sorts of nasty stereotypes attached to the poor root, bad borscht and a rough Russian winter being one. But, hey, good borscht is good! I think--I don't know that I've had any good borscht to be honest...

But, I can imagine it's possible because behind all that dirtiness lies a delightfully sweet flavor and vibrant color! You just have to get it out.


The challenge with beets usually lies in what to do with them. It shouldn't be that hard. They have so much going for them: flavor [original but pliable], color [of all types], season [all the time]!

Often, good beets are left to shine on their own, typically in salads where they are set to reign supreme. However, there is much more that can be done with the root.

The PB and I have recently started a new "thing": Every week, when we go grocery shopping, we try to get a new fruit or vegetable that we've never had or haven't cooked with much frequency. We also try to keep it seasonal [but that doesn't always pan out, much to my chagrin].

Last week, we picked up three beautiful red beets and I tried to find-slash-create some new ways to use them.

Here's what I found out:
a. beets are great
b. beets can be used in anything
c. anything that uses beets is great

So here I present you with a three-and-a-half part series on How To Eat A Beet, my attempt to open your eyes to the world of beets outside of salads.


Today's Menu:

Gnocchi Tartare
Durdy Peas


The first beet laden meal I made last week stemmed from a dinner the week prior. Every week I have a food date with MZarc and it was his turn to decide on the meal. He made some potato gnocchi.

Inspiration. I was reminded of a time last year, in Turkey, when I had some potatoes to use up and I decided to make gnocchi. When doing research about it I learned that gnocchi can actually be made out of so many things, not just the potato!

So, why not beet gnocchi?

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who thought of this. I discovered, as I was trying to determine general gnocchi-making ratios, that beet gnocchi is actually a traditional dish from the Piedmont region of Italy.


The key to making any gnocchi is in the flour. Flour weighs the gnocchi down, so you want to use just enough to keep the dough together. If you use too much, the pasta will be too dense and they won't float to the top when cooked. Light and airy gnocchi, that's the goal.

Everyone always asks about the little ridges on the gnocchi. Well, there are a bunch of different techniques for getting it, but I tend to just use a good fork.















I find it works best if I pick up the gnocchi and press my thumb into the back while I roll the fork over the top and edges.


A few other tricks I've discovered:


do things quickly: make the gnocchi when the grated/riced vegetable is still hot, for some reason this keeps them lighter

don't overwork the dough: make sure it comes together and then stop touching it!!

don't worry about the shape: cut up all your pieces and shape them with your fingers when you add the ridges

a little goes a long way: one medium piece of vegetable will make nearly 100 gnocchi

freeze, freeze, freeze: it's a somewhat labor intensive process to make gnocchi, so make a big lot and then freeze them for another day



I wanted the flavor of the beets to shine through in this dish, so I didn't want to overwhelm it with a heavy cheese-based sauce. Red sauce would also be too much. At the same time, I was bored with the typical "herb butter" sauce that goes with so many gnocchi recipes.

So, for this one, I brought some spinach, garlic, and parmesan into the mix. This gave the pasta some added body and texture but kept the beets as the centerpiece.

The color of the dough was utterly fantastic, nearly magenta! Unfortunately, however, it wasn't exactly easy to work with--I was constantly tempted to add more flour, but I knew that would ruin it. You just have to trust that it will work out. A bit of flour here and there is ok, but it's a sticky dough and messes with your head.



Coming up with a side dish to go with the gnocchi was a bit difficult. Using spinach in the pasta made me hesitant of making a salad. Additionally, I didn't want to just make a bland vegetable.

Eventually, I decided that the punch of dijon mustard would be a good compliment to the sweetness of the beets, and peas would be a nice additional texture. Putting these together I developed a wonderfully easy but flavorful pea dish.

All I have to say about that is this: mustard is the most underrated condiment ever. Learn to love it, learn to use it--if you do, your life, and your stomach, will be eternally blessed.

In the end, this meal was a success--for me, for you, for beets. The flavors and textures melded beautifully and the sight was a delight!


Gnocchi Tartare

[note: The reason this recipe is named gnocchi tartare is because in the pictures the end result looks like a pile of raw meat--that icky pale pink color. Do not let the photos dismay you! These gnocchi are delicious and, in reality, they are a much more vibrant pink. This recipe is based on the one in Bon Appetit, October 2004]



for the gnocchi:

3/4 c grated roasted red beet [see below], approximately 1 medium or 3 small red beets
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-1/2 c flour, divided


for sauce:

1 clove garlic
1 lb fresh spinach
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese


directions:

1. prepare beets
a. preheat oven to 450F. wrap beets in tinfoil and place in oven for approximately 1 hour or until fork tender.
b. remove skins and grate on a medium tooth or rice with a potato ricer. place 3/4 c into a large bowl and reserve the rest for another purpose.

2. make gnocchi
a. in a large bowl, combine beets, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
b. mix in 1 c of flour. the dough will be very sticky and you may need to add more flour, but do this cautiously. add only enough to make it so you can just barely roll the dough--it will still seem sticky, but you will roll it on a floured board with floured hands.
c. lightly flour the countertop and your hands. roll 1/4 of the dough into a log 1/2-inch in diameter. with a knife, cut the roll at 3/4-inch increments to make the gnocchi. continue this process with the remaining dough, working in batches.
d. [optional] dip a fork in flour and roll the tines over each gnocchi to create the ridge pattern.
e. at this point the gnocchi may be frozen [put them in a plastic ziploc bag] or cooked. to cook, put the gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water and wait until they rise to the surface.

3. make sauce
a. in a large saucepan, heat up some olive oil. add garlic and cook for a few minutes.
b. add all the spinach and cook until it has wilted.
c. add the cooked gnocchi directly from the pot to the saucepan. cook until the sides of the gnocchi start to brown somewhat.
d. sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and turn off the heat. let the cheese melt before serving.











Durdy Peas









1 large shallot
2 cups fresh or frozen peas [petits-poids are the best]
2 tbsp dijon mustard
olive oil

directions:

1. in a medium saucepan, heat up some olive oil on medium heat. add the shallots and saute a few minutes until translucent.
2. add the peas and cook until they are warmed through.
3. add the mustard and stir until peas are coated. serve immediately or cover to keep warm [they will turn a lighter green as they steam a bit with the lid on].

color me beet!




Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.