Chopped

My parents just visited for a week of eating and cooking fun. One night, we decided to go to an awesome local grocery store called Berkeley Bowl, each pick out ingredients, and then host our own version of the television show "Chopped." I have not had this much fun cooking in a long time, and that is saying a lot. There were three secret ingredients for each of the two courses the three teams were making. We could then use anything in the "pantry" (which we fully stocked with odd items, including buffalo steaks). For the first course, the secret ingredients were hot peppers, beets, and rambatans. The resulting appetizers were harvest nachos, Asian beet salad, and our own beet and cream cheese raviolis over a bed of beet greens with a rambatan salsa. (This is the recipe that will follow.) For the second course, the secret ingredients were eggplant, pumpkin puree, and dried apricots. My parents made puff pastry topped with eggplant, mushrooms, and sausage with an apricot bourbon sauce and pumpkin base. My cousin and her boy made shells stuffed with tofu or sausage (for the respective meat-eaters) and eggplant with a pumpkin apricot sauce and cranberry chipotle cheese. Adam and I made a pumpkin puree topped with chopped apricots and pecans with seared buffalo steaks and pan-fried eggplant with melted blue cheese. Everything was absolutely delicious. It was amazing to see how different everyone's dishes were from the same basic ingredients. If you want a fun cooking night, I definitely suggest "Chopped" at home.


Beet Ravioli over Beet Greens with Rambatan Salsa

This recipe is for 6 ravioli.

3 beets, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
6 wonton wrappers
beet greens from the 3 beets, chopped
10 grapes, sliced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 rambatans, peeled and sliced
1 manzanilla pepper, seeded and sliced thinly

1. Steam the beets in the microwave until tender. Mix in the cream cheese and season with salt and pepper.
2. Take each of the wonton wrappers and fill with a sixth of the beet and cream cheese mixture. Brush a bit of water onto the edges of the wonton. Fold the wonton into a triangle and seal securely. In a pot of boiling water, boil the ravioli two at a time until done, about 3 minutes each.
3. Meanwhile, saute the beet greens in a touch of olive oil. Add the cumin and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At the very end, mix in the grape slices.
4. To make the salsa, combine the rambatans and pepper slices.
5. To plate, make a circle with the beet greens. Place the ravioli in a line in the center of the platter. Top with salsa.

Sugar Beet, Um Um

My parents and I went to the local farmers' market while they were here. We wanted our dinner to be inspired by the freshest of fruits and vegetables. At the market there was an abundance of artichokes and beets. In addition, my mom had brought a recipe for a beet soup with her all the way across the country. With beets being wildly abundant, and having a recipe in hand, how could we resist the Sweet and Savory Beet Soup with Orange Juice and Yogurt? When my parents and I ate it, we steamed artichokes and made a vegan hollandaise sauce to accompany the soup. In truth, we were a little full to eat much of the soup, but it came in handy later for another meal. The second time we ate the soup, we paired it with foccacia, cheese, and cucumbers. This soup can be eaten warm, room temperature, or cold so it is perfect for any meal any time of the year.
Sweet and Savory Beet Soup with Orange Juice and Yogurt (One Straw Farm; The Washington Post, April 21, 2010)


3 large (3 1/2 to 4 lbs.) beets, trimmed and scrubbed
2 cups orange juice, preferably fresh
5 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt, or more as needed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or as needed
2/3 cup plain whole or low-fat yogurt, plus more for garnish (may use Greek-style yogurt for a thicker soup)
carrot strands, for garnish (optional)

1. Combine the beets, orange juice, broth, onion, salt and pepper in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Cook for about 1 hour, or until the beets are soft. Remove from the heat.
2. Remove the beets; peel them under cold water (changing it once or twice as needed so you can handle the warm vegetables), then cut them into quarters.
3. Place half the quartered beets in the blender, along with half of the contents of the saucepan. Remove the center knob of the lid and place a dish towel over the opening so that steam can escape. Puree until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining beets and contents of the saucepan.
4. Add yogurt to the beet puree and stir to incorporate thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot, chilled or at room temperature; garnish with a dollop of yogurt or carrot strands, if desired.

A Winter Salad

Adam went to Rochester this past weekend and came home wanting only vegetables and other healthy foods. Luckily, as I was looking over cookbooks and magazines throughout the weekend, I picked out a winter salad with roasted beets and parsnips in anticipation of Adam's health-food craving. We served it with warm, hearty, crusty bread. It made for a wonderful weeknight meal that felt good for the body and soul.


Roasted Beets and Parsnips with Black Olives and Oranges (Vegetarian Times, January 2009)

The only change I made to the recipe was I substituted shallots for the fennel bulb. The shallots turned out perfectly caramelized and delicious; they definitely did not detract from the wonderfulness of the salad.

4 beets, peeled and diced (3 1/2 cups)
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into matchsticks (2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, cut into bite-size wedges (1/4 cup)
3 Tbs. garlic-infused olive oil, divided
8 cups baby arugula (8 oz.)
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned, each section thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place beets, parsnips, and fennel in large bowl. Add 2 Tbs. oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and evenly scatter vegetables on baking sheet. Roast vegetables 20 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times with spatula. Increase oven temperature to 500. Roast vegetables 10 minutes more, or until tender.
2. Place arugula, orange slices, and olives in a large salad bowl. Add roasetd vegetables, balsamic vinegar, and remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Toss well to mix, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

An Evening Affair

Adam and I decided to go all out last night and make a really good dinner. And, we did just that! We made a Caramelized Onion Tart and a Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad. Adam's brother joined us for dinner and brought over a fantastic bottle of zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley's Unti Vineyard. It paired perfectly with the rich flavors of the tart and beets and the creaminess of the avocados. The tart takes quite a while to prepare, but with the first bite, you will realize that every minute of the preparation was worth it. If you have a special event coming up, this is definitely a meal that everyone will enjoy and rave about all night.


Caramelized Onion Tart (Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

It took a lot longer for the onions to caramelize than the recipe denotes. Be patient, it's worth the wait to get perfectly golden brown onions.

Crust
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chilled butter
3 to 4 Tbs. chilled water (Adam ended up using about 6 Tbs. to get the right consistency)

Filling
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
8 cup sliced onions
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
6 large eggs
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup packed grated Gruyere cheese

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter [or two knives if you don't have a pastry cutter] until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle on the ice water and form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, somewhat flatten the ball of dough by pressing down with your palm. Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle with a rolling pin. Lift the dough into a 10-inch pie plate. Fold the edges under and crimp the edges high, because the filling is generous. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. Warm the oil in a large, heavy, preferably cast-iron skillet and add the onions and salt. Cook uncovered on medium-high heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Add the thyme and continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. As they cook, the onions will release their juices and then start to caramelize, turning golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a blender, puree the eggs, flour, mustard, salt, and milk until smooth.
4. Spread the onions evenly on the bottom of the pie shell, cover with the grated cheese, and pour the milk custard over all. Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature.


Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad (Cooking Light, November 2005)

We cut this recipe into a third of what the recipe makes, which was plenty for 3 people. We did keep the whole avocado in there though, because how could anyone resist eating avocado? We used white wine vinegar instead of the sherry vinegar, but I would use plain white vinegar next time for a stronger bite and contrast to the other flavors next time.

6 large red or yellow beets (about 4 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange rind
1/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbs. extravirgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
3/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 large avocado, peeled
3 bunches watercress (about 9 cups trimmed)
3 cups orange sections (about 3 large navel oranges)
3/4 cup vertically sliced red onion
3 Tbs. chopped pecans, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Remove root and 1 inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Cut beets in half; place beets in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover with foil, and bake at 375 for 1 hour or until tender. Cool; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Combine rind and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Toss half of juice mixture with beets.
4. Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 12 slices. Place watercress on a platter; top with beets, orange sections, onion, and avocado. Drizzle remaining juice mixture over salad, and top with pecans. Serve immediately.