Quick Beets with Chile and Lemon

In 2009, The Kitchn posted a recipe for Quick Beets with Chile and Lime that I've been making ever since when I want beets and don't feel like roasting, cooling and peeling them. It requires a mere three ingredients: raw beets, lemon and chili powder. The raw beets' sweetness is exaggerated by lemon juice, instead of roasting, and the chili powder adds an unexpected earthiness. It also has a killer crunch.

To make the dish, you simply slice up the beets as thinly as you can manage and combine the ingredients. The Kitchen has you toss the everything together prior to serving, but I go next level with laziness and simply squeeze the lemon juice over the beets, then sprinkle the chili powder on top.

Fuschia fingertips be darned this is worth a try if you like beets. You can even be fancy and call it carpaccio.

To make hearts just trim the beet's ends off and cut a v-shaped chunk out of the root end prior to slicing.

Fuchsia remains

Root Vegetable Risotto

As I threw this together I was calling it “Going to Richmond Risotto” in my head since I just was cleaning out the fridge for my trip home tonight (!) when I came up with the ingredients. I can't wait to be home, to have time to think and to catch up with my often too far away family.

The risotto ended up looking so festive that I decided to share. Plus it tastes delicious. It is warm, filling and comforting -- perfect for Fall and perhaps Thanksgiving? I bet you could throw Turkey Day leftovers into a risotto for a tasty result too. Hmm.  Anyway, the parmesan makes the risotto tangy and rich while the root vegetables add sweetness and the beet greens spice things up a touch.

This is the first time I’ve enjoyed beet greens too, which is a serious accomplishment. I didn’t have to feel guilty for discarding them. Finally. Here’s hoping to many more…maybe one day even without cheese.

Root Vegetable Risotto
Yields approximately 5 cups

1.5 Tbsp Browned Butter (or Regular)
3 Leeks
Salt
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
4-5 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Sweet Potato
2 Small Red Beets
1 Large Golden Beet
1-2 Bunches of Beet Greens
Salt and Pepper

Directions (as usual adapted slightly from Sally Schneider’s A New Way To Cook)
1. Heat 4-5 cups of chicken broth in the microwave until warm. In the meantime, cut the leeks in half, trim down to the white portions and slice into 1/8” pieces.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the leeks and a little salt. Sauté for 5 minutes until tender. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains look chalky with a white dot in the center of each, about 5 minutes. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
3. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed by the rice. Stir in 1/2 cup of the broth. Cook at a very low boil, stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the broth in this fashion, 1/2 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until the grains of rice are tender yet still firm in the center and the risotto is creamy but not soupy.
4. While the risotto cooks…. Put olive oil into a large bowl. Trim beet greens, rinse and dry. Set aside. Peel sweet potato and beets. Slice into 1/4” thick slices, and then cut into 1/4” slices. Toss with olive oil in the bowl.
5. Lay the beets and sweet potatoes out on the tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sweet potatoes, red beets and golden beets in the oven for approximately 25 minutes.
6. While they roast and the vegetables roast, slice the beet greens into ribbons.
7. Add the beet greens to the risotto with the last 1/2 cup of broth and stir.
8. Remove the root vegetables from the oven and cool. Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the Greek yogurt and Parmesan.
9. Add the root vegetables in and stir the mixture together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.