Pretty in (Beet) Pink

A supper of spaghetti turned into a colorful mustache as Claire ate her fill and demanded more sustenance last night.  I was out of pasta and offered her some roasted beets which she had turned down earlier.

Boy were they a hit this time around! Look at her colorful face. Interestingly, this is the first time she’s squinched her face together in a grin when I asked her to “show youd smile.” To get Claire smiling in most pictures I just tickle her or make a silly face…or catch her laughing for the most natural look. I just wish this picture wasn’t so blurry – darn night time flash shots!

Make sure to look through the full album below, there are some really cute shots of her teeth covered in beets :-) Now that Claire is so interested in cooking with me, I’m going to start posting some recipes for things we’ve made together – starting with these beets.

View Full Album

I had no idea what to do with beets so I flipped open my trusty cookbook (Nourishing Traditions) and found a recipe for roasted beets. I baked them (unpeeled) in the oven at 250 for 2 hours as directed but found they were still too tough. I upped the heat to 350 for another half an hour at which point the beets were soft, super sweet and easy to peel. There’s a great soup recipe I’m going to try next time we hit the farmer’s market (of course I cut and paste this recipe ages ago and have no clue the source, tsk tsk, I know)

Chilled Beet Soup w/ Potato

2 onions, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 pounds beets, diced and peeled
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
8 cups of water or stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons superfine (caster) sugar
6 medium potatoes, washed and not peeled
sour cream to garnish if you care for it

Place the onions, celery, carrot, and beet in a large saucepan and cover with the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for two hours or until the beet is completely softened. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Transfer to a food processor and puree until very thin. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a bit of water.

Chill the soup overnight.

The next day, add the lemon juice, vinegar, and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. The soup must have a sweet/sour balance. In a large pan covered with salted water, boil the potatoes until soft. Remove and halve them. Pour the could soup into bowls, put two hot potato halves in the middle of each bowl and add a spoonful of sour cream.