Fall is really here, ready or not, the weather has hit us hard in the past couple weeks. I'm feeling bad for the East Coast and Hurricane Sandy today as I watch the news cast on TV.
A weekend, or two, ago we spent the day checking out a local island, Vashon.
Funny, even though both my husband and I are from Seattle, we had both never gone to Vashon Island, that we can remember. This is where my Mom tells me when I went there as a baby, or sumthing.
A simple 20 minute ferry ride from West Seattle, and you feel like you are a long way away from the big city. Except for those Metro buses on the island, since it's still part of King County.... ah well, we really did feel like we had a big getaway.
We checked out the local farmers market... in the rain. We enjoyed all the veggies, but also the locally raised meats and sausages and even local wine tasting. I bought two beautiful bunches of beets with the tops, both red and golden beets. I admired them as they were so colorful and fresh, but kept walking. I got to the end of the veggie row, then turned around and went back for them. I figured anything that nice looking would also taste great; I was right.
Many of you know that I am not the biggest beet fan, but I am trying. I've bought beets more this year than ever before in my life. I've been doing mostly soups with my Hot Pink Soup and my Spicy Sausage Borscht, but this dish appealed to me because it has one of my favorite cheeses ever- goat cheese! This is a warming side dish for a cold Fall night, or even Thanksgiving. I also think it would be great over arugula as a salad. Use any nuts that you like (pecans, almonds, pistachios) for this dish.
I guess I should have taken a photo of the stall where I bought the beets, huh? Just take my word for it, it was beautiful!
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
7-8 beets, golden and red, cut into 1" chunks
1 onions, cut into into chunks
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2-3 green onions, sliced (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Toast the walnuts, or other nuts that you have decided on, for about 5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.
Peel the beets... that's the hardest part of the recipe, and messiest too.
Cut the beets into the 1" chunks and layer on a large sheet pan, or cookie sheet. Add the onions and drizzle all with the olive oil. Toss the veggies to coat with the oli and make sure they are evenly dispersed on your pan. Add some salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. You will want the beets to be tender, and the onions starting to get brown and caramelize. Add to a serving dish, sprinkle with goat cheese, nuts and finally, topping with some green onions. Serve at once, but these are also great at room temperature too.
Need some other easy ideas for a blustery cold day?
These are some of my favorites:
Bacon Corn Chowder
Polenta with Truffle oil & Arugula
Chicken White Bean Chili
Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce
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