I’m what you might call a culinary optimist. For example, in
restaurants I try to order something I haven’t had before — the
weirder or more experimental, the better. I’m also constantly buying
foods that I dislike, mostly for health reasons, but also on the
continuing hope that maybe this time I’ll find a better way to make it.
(Exception: Squash. I have decided squash is off the menu for the
remainder of the season, though maybe I’ll give it another spin next
year).
Every once in a while this approach pays off. For example, like most
kids I hated brussels sprouts, but sometime around 20 my taste buds
matured or whatever and I found that I actually love the green buggers.
Last night, I found a way to make peace with beets with the following
recipe:
3 large beets, coarsely shredded
1/4 cup vodka
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp wasabi powder
1 tbsp salt
sprinkling of caraway seeds
dash of dill
crushed pepper to taste
Soak
the shredded beets in vodka for about 10 minutes, or until drunk.Stir
in remaining ingredients. Heat up a large skillet with about 1 tbsp
cooking oil; saute the beets for about 10 minutes. Serve with wilted
beet greens or arugula (throw them in about a minute before you’re done suateing).
Optional: Toss in some sliced sausage.
Now, I’m not really a
cook-by-the-numbers kind of guy, so the exact proportions above could
be off by, say, an entire order of magnitude. (Except for the 3 beets,
I’m pretty sure there were 3 of them).
If you’re wondering why I am sharing this recipe with you, it’s
because I needed an excuse to post something to this blog. Also because
I’m eating this stuff right now and I rather like it.
