Thoughts on Beets

I always thought I hated beets. I've realized recently though that maybe I don't really know what a "real" beet tastes like. What I have had as a youngster were those disgusting canned (pickled maybe?) red things that, quite frankly, I don't understand who created and why anyone buys them. Anyway, beets seem to be all the rage in gourmet cooking magazines and fine restaurants as of late so when Graham ASKED if we could pick up some golden beets at the Kirkland Farmer's Market, I immediately obliged. (For one, it has proved to be a challenge to get the boy to try root veggies other than potatoes let alone ASK for them). Apparently he'd been paging through one of my recent Cooking Light issues and came upon the recipe that follows. He tried it out earlier this week and I must say that it was quite fabulous! You always hear beets described as being "earthy" which I think is just a glamorous way of saying they "taste like dirt" but my feeling is that the "dirty" taste is much more subtle in the golden variety. Paired with a nice sharp parmigiano-regianno (which we used in place of the Kefalotyri), they are quite nice. Be brave and try something new! They are a great source of fiber and also contain vitamin C and iron.

Beet and Arugula Salad with Kefalotyri

Kefalotyri is a hard, salty Greek cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano can sub in a pinch). For more visual appeal, use golden and red beets.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup beet mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese)

Ingredients:
3 beets (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups arugula
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh kefalotyri cheese

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets in a baking dish; bake at 425° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tender. Cool; peel and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Arrange beet slices in a single layer on a platter. Drizzle beets with half of vinegar mixture.
4. Combine remaining vinegar mixture and arugula in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Top beets with arugula mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.