God I love beets. Beets were one of those childhood foods that I encountered rarely, mushily, and in disgusting ways. Luckily for me I spent my young adulthood with a band of fiddle playing gypsies who subsisted entirely on root vegetables.
Under the tutelage of the wizened Grandma Marin I learned the mysterious ways of the beet- its versatility, the range of varieties, the multitudes of complimentary textures that can be coaxed from them.
Yes, I’m a dirty liar. No gypsies, no Grandma Marin, very little fiddle playing. Regardless, at some point along the way I did develop a keen appreciation for the oft-scorned beet.
Little bundles of them have been filling the markets for the past couple of months so I’ve had lots of opportunities to play. I just wanted to take a minute and share my most recent favorite beet assemblage.
It’s a salad with raw, thin sliced, candy cane beets from Milagro Farms. (Kris and Amy do a hell of a job out there and I can’t wait ‘til their tomato crop is ready this year!)
The salad also has orange zest, little orange supremes, goat cheese from Pure Luck Dairy and roasted edamame from Austinuts. I dressed it with the juice left over from cutting the orange, a little extra lemon juice for zip, some good olive oil, and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper.
So delicious. And you totally feel like Popeye after you eat it. You can practically feel the vitamins, minerals and micronutrients flooding your system. You’re all like, “I am Beet Man! Eater of raw beets! Tremble before me and feel my sugary sweet, vegetably wrath!” Or that could just be me. And yes I know Popeye ate spinach. Geez.
Anyway, this amount served six as one of a couple of starters, or four if you have less food.
- 3 medium beets, sliced 1/16th to 1/8th inch thick (love your mandolin)
- 1 orange, zested and then supremed, juices reserved
- ¼ cup roasted or steamed edamame
- 2 oz. soft goat cheese
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T. Lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Whisk the reserved orange juice, lemon juice and a pinch of salt together until salt dissolves. Continue to whisk while drizzling in olive oil.
Toss beets with dressing.
Arrange all of the remaining ingredients on a platter and top with extra dressing and fresh black pepper as desired. Eat.
-L. Pants
Milagro Farm
504 Bartsch Ln., Red Rock, TX 78662
Kris and Amy Olsen 512-321-4312
