• Root vegetable gratin
    Food

    Root Vegetable Gratin

    Spiraled in a baking dish, root vegetables form the base of a delicious gratin that can be served as fittingly for Thanksgiving or any holiday as it can be for an indulgent weeknight dinner.  Potatoes give a familiar and comforting flavor while beets, turnips, rutabaga, and other varieties lend a bit more interest, with the choice of customization completely yours.  Red beets are particularly delicious, though they do cause the entire dish to become quite tinged with their color.  For this reason, you may wish to opt for the golden variety. As a holiday dish, this one disappears quickly and can take the place of mashed potatoes if you are…

  • Red Beet Pasta
    Food

    Ruby Pasta

    Rich, ruby-toned pasta works with the strengths of the red beet, which likes to stain everything it touches. If you’ve ever cooked with beets and lamented the marks they left on your wood cutting board, fingers, and possibly apron, this is your opportunity to let their ruby red juices work to your advantage. In fact, all elements of this recipe work with the essential qualities of the subtly sweet, earthy beet. To play up those sweet qualities and brighten them, I opted to add crushed fennel seed and marjoram, a delicate aromatic herb that is best introduced toward the end of cooking. Citrus also works well to brighten up the…

  • Golden Beet Salad with Feta
    Food

    Golden Beet Salad with Feta

    With their long stems and bright greens, beets lure in quite a few people at the market. They pick them up but then put them down. On their faces I sometimes see the flashbacks to horrible childhood beet experiences, many beginning with the canned red ones. If you have such memories, I recommend the golden variety as the gateway beet that might just make you change your opinion. In contrast to their red counterparts, golden beets are more mellow and slightly sweeter. They perk up with the addition of white wine vinaigrette and feta, making a great lunch salad or side dish. Since beets are filling but won’t leave you…