Ah, my new love, the golden beet. There are few vegetables I don't like, and for a long time beets were among the two or three I just refused to put in my mouth. I'm not sure if it is the earthy taste, the staining, or just the way that I've had them prepared-(mostly in a can). Regardless, I'd NEVER call myself a beet lover. Ever.A long while back, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard had bottles of Biotta Beet Juice. I tried it. A little strong, but when cut with some club soda and a little cranberry juice, I had me a great mocktail! I tried to find it at the local grocery store but it was $6 a bottle! No sale. Then I gave the real deal a try when I saw some Detroit Red ones sitting all lonely at the bottom of a bin at the food bank at a later date. I made this pie for 2011 Vegan MOFO.
Fast forward to last week, and I'll tell you about how I brought home what I thought was going to be a red beet because it was so dark on the outside, then I peeled it and saw this glorious yellow gold. I held it against the gray sky outside, gazed lovingly at the orb, and pretended it was the sun. Thank goodness it wasn't really the sun, or I would have burned my eyeballs out of their sockets.
So--um, what do I do with these? I'm still at a loss as to how to prepare them, and I only had this one beet. I finished peeling it, sliced it 1/4 inch thick, coated it in some olive oil, kosher salt, and dill. Since my oven-oven was full, I put it in the toaster oven at 300 for 10 minutes, flipped, then another 10 minutes. After the 20, I couldn't fully pierce it with a fork, so I set the timer for another 5-7. Perfect. Rays of light fell from my mouth with each bite. Not as earthy as a red beet, just sweet bliss. I'm sure they're great raw, but I'm not ready for that level of commitment.
What vegetable did you used to despise then later changed your mind? How did you prepare it?
I spat cooked endive in my mother's face when I was a baby, and that marked me for life. I'm sure it made an impression on my mom too. Now I love them, but raw, in simply dressed salads.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad golden beets made you re-think your beet-hating ways, dude.
I used to hate beets too. But that's because I'd only had them raw, and they tasted like dirt. But roasting brings out that sweet, yummy flavor. And yes, golden beets are way better than the red ones....though I like those too.
ReplyDeleteI also used to hate beets. Probably because I'd only tried the canned version when I was a kid. Luckily I gave them another chance as an adult and love them roasted, steamed and raw (grated) now! And I've made juice with the golden ones, it's delicious too.
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