Beets, Two Ways

Earlier in the week we had a girls' dinner night at my apartment: opening a bottle of wine and cooking up whatever is in the pantry.

For my part, I figured that it was finally an opportunity to use the beets I bought at last week's farmer's market: two red and one golden.

My first obstacle: the fact that I had never made beets before. After researching what to do with them, I spent a lazy TV evening letting them roast in the oven at 350 degrees for two hours. Thus, they were all soft enough for handling once girls' night rolled around.

My second obstacle: The fact that neither of the two other ladies particularly liked beets. At all. When asked, Kristen said, "I'm not a huge beet person. I always picture the canned jelly-like crap and the purple color just looks funny." And she's the one who likes vegetables.

With my work cut out for me, I came up with some ideas:


1. MIXED GREENS SALAD with RED BEETS, AVOCADO, TANGERINE SLICES and A SIMPLE OLIVE-OIL BALSAMIC DRESSING.

2. PITA FLAT BREADS with PARMESAN CHEESE, GOLDEN BEETS and FRIED SAGE.

FLAT BREAD INGREDIENTS

- 3 Pita bread flats
- 1/4cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 golden beet, thinly sliced
- 1/3-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- Coarsely grated salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven on 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat; dissolve honey into olive oil. You may need a whisk to stir the honey into oil if they separate. Lightly brush olive oil/honey onto the top of each pita.

Wash sage and drop into any remaining hot oil for flavor and fried texture.

Sprinkle pitas with a thin later of Parmesan (you don't need full coverage). Layer 3-4 golden beet slices on each pita. Place 3-4 sage leaves on each pita. Bake on 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until pita edges and cheese start to brown.

The verdict? Kristen says: "I like them!"