“Meals’ ingredients must be allowed to topple into each other….This continuity is the heart and soul of cooking.”
This quote is also what eating affordably, responsibly, and well relies upon. This is a flexible recipe for one dish by way of another.
INGREDIENTS
3 medium red beets
4 cloves garlic
2 bunch parsley or basil
A few handfuls of arugula/spinach (kale or chard or broccoli with an extra step)
Juice of half a lemon or a dash of white wine vinegar
3/4 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup pecans/almonds/walnuts (if using pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup)
1/4 cup Pecorino romano/parmesan/feta
1 tablespoon salt approximately
A couple of pinches of Chile flakes
Pasta
RECIPE
It begins by roasting beets. Scrub them, cut off the bumpy stem side, place in a small baking dish with a couple plump cloves of peeled garlic and douse with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt.
Put a few splashes of water in to create a steamy effect and cover with foil.
Roast at 475 until the beets are fork tender.
Peel! Once cooled, using a paring knife or spoon, peel off the beet’s skins and save them in a container with the juicy oil and garlic.
Dice or slice the beets and marinate with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt (if more is needed) and thinly sliced red onions. You can then use them in all kinds of salad situations- with greens, cucumbers, avocado, feta, walnuts… But now you have these super flavorful beet skins!
Throw them, along with the oil and garlic they were roasted with, into a food processor with some more olive oil, parsley or basil, lemon juice, a pinch of chile flakes, and toasted almonds/pecans/walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
Integrate the cheese (parmesan, pecorino romano, or feta - something salty) near the end. I salt at the end once I’ve tasted it. This lovely pesto works well with whole wheat pasta because it can stand up to its earthiness. I tossed it with roasted butternut and arugula.
Wilt arugula or spinach by tossing in at the end while the pasta is warm. If you’ve got a hardier green like kale or chard, you can saute it with a little garlic or onion, salt, chile and a bit of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and then toss in with the pasta at the end.
I come from a family that lives for cheese (you think I’m kidding, I’m not) so I like to sprinkle some extra pecorino or feta on at the end. More chile flakes too!