“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.” Tom Robbins
I'm in love with beets! Heard someone say that with beets it may only be love it or hate it relationship. Personally I don't agree with it 100% - until recently I only liked them. Nowadays going grocery shopping one may suspect I'm doing something illegal with the beets looking at the quantities I buy. The answer is very simple - I'm in the exploring phase, trying to figure out numerous ways how to cook them and the tastiest recipes.
One of my favorites - pan roasted beets. It can be done as a vegan version as well. For those in favor of cheese and diary products in general, feta can be used for the topping as well as butter added in the cooking process.
The preparation takes a while - the raw beets require patience.
Ingredients:
* 4-6 large beets
* 4-6 red onions
* Arugula salad
* Feta (or tofu)
* Sunflower seeds or pine nuts
* Extra virgin olive oil
* Salt'n'pepper
* Thyme
Slice the onion and cook it in oil (and butter for the non vegans) in a larger pan until soft and tender. Add salt, pepper, thyme, other herbs if preferred.
Peel the beets, cut them into cubes and add to the cooked onions. Stirring occasionally cook covered with a lid - the beets won't dry out, will be moist and cook in less time. Try them out with a fork until tender - the cooking will take about an hour or so over moderately high heat.
Once done, toss with some toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts. Serve with feta (or tofu) and arugula.
Bon appetit!
