With a last name like mine and grandparents that came over on the boat, there are certain foods that I’m obliged to eat. I’ve certainly put away my share of pasta and I’ve tossed back a glass or two of red wine, but when it comes to the ubiquitous tomato, I struggle.
Now I like tomato sauce. Fresh salsa is awesome on a tortilla chip. Tomato soup with saltine crackers is a winter staple. But a plain raw tomato? No way. It’s the texture. It’s like it’s not done yet. Stuff squirts all over the place when you bite in. Nope.
And so it is with beets. Never liked ‘em. In a salad or whatever. Not for me. Strange texture. Odd flavor. No borscht for this boy.
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So when our CSA share from Square 1 Farm came in last week with a “lovely” little bunch of beets, I was tempted to trade our half to our neighbor who we split the share with for an extra handful of arugula. But no… I decided to view them as a challenge.
I could sauté the greens but… We had chard and kale and plenty of greens. Besides, I’m not sure that would really count.
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So… They sat in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. And when I picked up this week’s share from Square 1, there were more of the little buggers. It was as if they were telling me I couldn’t get away. I hauled them home on my motorcycle contemplating their use as range balls.
So tonight, I decided to just do it. I Googled recipes – most of which had the same four ingredients: beets, oil, garlic, salt. A few added orange juice which didn’t strike a chord in me. I found one that added some onions and brown sugar and decided I’d work with that.
My first surprise came as I peeled them and cut them up. They weren’t purple! They were white with fluorescent pink stripes like some Peter Max painting or some rad 60’s bellbottoms. Not what I expected.
I cut them up, added some garlic, onions, some salt and olive oil, and a touch of brown sugar. Into the oven and onto the side of a plate full of salad and leftover sirloin tips.
And you know what? They were great! Sweet. Nice texture. Little bits of onion and garlic. Boy I hope we get more beets next week! Maybe I should try a tomato?
