Recent cooking - BEETS! and pasta

I roasted beets last week, pushed by the nyt week of beets a little while back (it was really like beets 24/7 - even a beetcast). Yeah, following the nyt recipes are a bit boring, and probably everyone else in the city is doing it, but you know, they're easy and good, so whatever. I don't have time to be crazy and unique in the kitchen these days - I'm lucky to make more than pasta + tomatoes + pesto +mozarella. Or eat more than carrots, cucumbers, and hummus for lunch.

First came beet and endive salad with walnuts. Endives are a first for me - tasty, but kindof expensive, as well as tarragon - very unique. In my run of expensive greens buying, the store didn't even have chives, so the recipe was sans chives, and in the final analysis, had too much garlic and salt. But will definitely make it again (if in part to munch on lots of walnuts and feta while cooking).
Above - the remains of the beet and endive salad: the focal color of my brain. Nothing stimulates my visual system more...

I roasted beets last week, pushed by the nyt week of beets a little while back (it was really like beets 24/7 - even a beetcast). Yeah, following the nyt recipes are a bit boring, and probably everyone else in the city is doing it, but you know, they're easy and good, so whatever. I don't have time to be crazy and unique in the kitchen these days - I'm lucky to make more than pasta + tomatoes + pesto +mozarella. Or eat more than carrots, cucumbers, and hummus for lunch.

First came beet and endive salad with walnuts. Endives are a first for me - tasty, but kindof expensive, as well as tarragon - very unique. In my run of expensive greens buying, the store didn't even have chives, so the recipe was sans chives, and in the final analysis, had too much garlic and salt. But will definitely make it again (if in part to munch on lots of walnuts and feta while cooking).

Then Thursday I finally made the mediterranean beet and yogurt salad.
By today, the yogurt in the leftovers had turned a deep magenta purple. I spread it in some warm pita with some tomatoes (to lighten the garlic in the salad), and the results was the most alien purple food I've ever eaten.

From now on, I'm going to cook with beets as much as I can, mostly just for the color. Up next: finally cook some fresh greens (lost this batch to procrastination) and follow the beet breeder's advice and 1) blanch them for a few minutes and remove the skin, 2) slice, toss with olive oil and spices to taste 3) roast until done like roasted potatoes. Mmmm.

Tonight, dinner was pasta with cherry tomatoes and arugula. I've never actually cooked with arugula, either. Pretty tasty, and very simple, but nothing to knock you over with.