Just so you know why I haven’t been posting much this week, it’s because I’m out of town again. This time in Pittsburgh, PA visiting the other side of my family. I know of no regional delicacies in the area (if you do, please let me know!) , so I can’t show you photos of local foods like I did with the lobster in Maine. However, tomorrow we are going to visit the Strip District of Pittsburgh, which should have lots of local produce and great Italian food. Hopefully I can get in a photo of that for the blog.
Out of Town, Again…
July 6, 2007 | 3 Comments
July 11, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Amy,
I’m very sad you will not be hosting us tonight. I hope that you feel better soon.
I was at the Farmer’s Market last week and I picked up some beets. I’m not sure what to do with them. Do you have plans for a beet night? I found a neat chocolate beet cake recipe…
Funny story about beets: In French, the word for beets is les betraves, not les betes as you might expect, which is actually slang for a particular male body part. When studying abroad and living with a French host family, you should remember this lesson for when you try to compliment the beet dish and its wonderful sauce.
July 11, 2007 at 5:50 PM
Mmm…beets. I like to scrub and peel beets and then roast them in the oven at around 400 with a dash of vinegar, kosher salt, ground pepper, and whatever herbs I happen to be in the mood for. The roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the beets and you can deglaze the bottom of the roasting pan with some broth or wine for a great sauce.
However, this might not be a great recipe for summer since it involves having the oven on at a high temperature. Brynne simple boils her beets and then serves them with butter. Simple, but very yummy.
Also, if you happen to have a grill you might try slicing the beets in to circles, painting them with vegetable oil and some salt and pepper and grilling them on a cooler part of the grill. I’ve never tried this myself, but it sounds good in my head.
July 12, 2007 at 1:57 AM
Minta,
That’s good cultural advice on the beets and their, ahem, sauce.
Another way to cook summer beets (and not heat the whole house in the process) is a quick steam in a covered skillet after grating them on a box grater. There is a recipe on my Seasonal Eating blog for them. Thanks much for the link to my blog, Amy; I have enjoyed reading yours as well!