Beets--they're what's for breakfast?
Tiny beets awaiting transplant.
WILD HARE WEEKLY SPRING 5/12
Hi. My name is Katie Green, and I eat beets for breakfast. Oh, I know. It catches the ear all kinds of wrong at first. Wait, what did she just say? Beets? Not only does this woman expect me to actually EAT BEETS, she wants me to eat them for BREAKFAST?! Has this woman lost her ever-loving mind?
Maybe a little, but I would blame running the farm as a whole for that—not just the beets. You see, over the winter I hit a wall, and I realized that I needed to make a much more intentional effort to take better care of myself than I had for the prior four years of keeping this place going strong. This took the form of me “reconnecting with my why,” which a good portion of the time looks like me surrounding myself with a bunker of books, Matilda style. I’m not sure why exactly, but one of the cookbooks that I added to my fortress late last year shook something up for me in a way that I really needed. The book? Dining In by Alison Roman. The saturated photos, super chic flat lighting yet straightforward way in which she presents recipes had me hooked. It isn’t a health food book by any means, but it has done wonders for my heart and our kitchen. It is just my kind of book. The recipes in particular? A simple batch of Vinegar Roasted Beets and another for a savory Granola that has all of the elements of the perfect Everything Bagel minus the bagel. But here’s the kicker, for all of my enthusiasm and inspiration, the people with whom I live do not get excited about eating beets. So, I did what made sense to me at the time—I made it for breakfast, the meal that everyone in the house tends to do their own thing for anyway. And then I roasted up another batch and had it again and again. Since then, I’ve sprinkled Alison Roman’s “Decidedly Not Sweet Granola” on everything from roasted Rutabagas, to Broccoli, to Avocados and Cucumbers. And as a result, I’m starting my day with a batch-cooked (but somehow still indulgent) dish of dietary fiber, iron and all kinds of other nutrients that I don’t have to share with ANYONE else in my house. It is mom/wife/me time heaven, and a meal like this leaves me feeling remarkably good and ready to face whatever shenanigans the farm tosses my way. So that’s my advice. In a funk? Hit the library—and don’t just settle for having breakfast for dinner—eat those veggies for breakfast people—especially the ones your family members don’t love as much as you do. And when you’re ready to please a crowd again, take that Purple Sprouting Broccoli and make them some Smitten Kitchen Broccoli Pizza. Of course, the life-affirming, game-changing, serotonin-inducing recipes I’ve described are linked at the end of this week’s newsletter.
Have a great week!
Katie
IN THE FARMSHARES THIS WEEK:
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Red Beets
Mini Lettuce (or maybe Radicchio)
Onions
Shallots
Gala Apples
SEASONAL RECIPES, TIPS & INFO
BROCCOLI PIZZA
Smitten Kitchen
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for pan and fingertips
1 recipe pizza dough (below)
3/4 pound broccoli
Zest and juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 ounces coarsely grated provolone
4 ounces mozzarella, torn into small clumps
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano
Salt and red pepper flakes, to taste
ALISON ROMAN’S VINEGAR ROASTED BEETS
Dining In
1 bunch Beets
2 medium spring Onions, quartered, or 4 whole Scallions
1 cup full-fat Greek Yogurt
¼ cup fresh Dill, tender stems and leaves
2 Tbsp fresh Lime Juice
2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar (white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar also work here)
3 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
ALISON ROMAN’S DECIDEDLY NOT SWEET GRANOLA
Dining In
1½ cups rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup buckwheat groats
½ cup flaxseeds
½ cup black or white sesame seeds
¼ cup nigella seed (if unavailable, use more black or white sesame seeds)
3 large egg whites
⅓ cup olive oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup caraway or fennel seed
1-2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
BEET HUMMUS
Dishing up the Dirt
1 very large beet
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 TBS Tahini (roughly)
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil (roughly)
Juice from 1 large lemon
CELERY ROOT, RADICCHIO & APPLE SALAD
Matthew Card, The Oregonian
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons white wine or white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons coarse-style Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil
4 ounces celery root (1/2 medium celery root), trimmed of roots, peeled, and julienned fine
1 small head radicchio, cored and sliced thin lengthwise (1-1/2-2 cups)
2 cups lightly packed baby arugula
1 firm, tart apple (like Braeburn), cored and sliced thin
1/2 cup lightly toasted, crumbled walnuts
JOSHUA McFADDEN’S BITTER GREENS SALAD WITH MELTED CHEESE
Six Seasons
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large head radicchio (3/4 pound), cored and coarsely shredded
5 ounces arugula
1/4 pound Crucolo, provolone, Taleggio, or Fontina cheese, grated
1/2 cup roughly chopped lightly toasted hazelnuts
Saba or balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
ONE PAN BROCCOLI QUINOA SKILLET
WITH PARMESAN & WHITE BEANS
Well-Plated
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil— divided
1 medium shallot — finely chopped (about 1/2 cup), or 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
4 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets — about 8 ounces
3 cloves garlic — minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock — or chicken stock
1 can reduced-sodium white beans — (15 ounces) (such as Great Northern or cannellini), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese — plus additional for serving
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley