Beet – FoodWatcher

Beet Salad

Whenever I go out to eat and see a beet salad on the menu, I always order it. I LOVE beets! They are so good. If you haven’t tried them or don’t think you are a fan, you have to give them a chance. I love a good restaurant beet salad, but d…

The Zingy Yogurt Sauce That Connects Me With My Polish-Midwestern Roots

Everything I know about my family history is a bit fuzzy. Whenever I ask my father questions about how his parents ended up in the Midwest, he only knows so much. “We didn’t talk about things like that,” he explains to me. “Those conversations would ma…

Everything I know about my family history is a bit fuzzy. Whenever I ask my father questions about how his parents ended up in the Midwest, he only knows so much. “We didn’t talk about things like that,” he explains to me. “Those conversations would make us feel less ‘American,’ so we didn’t really have them.” He tells me that his parents were originally from Kraków and Wilno (which is no longer part of Poland), but he doesn’t remember which parent grew up where.

What he does know is that the story goes something like this: They were both being transferred from one camp in German-occupied Poland to another when technical issues blessed them with an opportunity to escape. After fleeing, they immigrated to America, eventually landing in Chicago where a friend was able to host them. From there my father’s family raised him and his brother, fully rooting themselves in the American Midwest.

A 3-Ingredient Sauce-Slash-Spread for Any Vegetable

A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else—flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst: We don’t count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butte…

A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else—flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst: We don't count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. Today, we’re introducing whatever vegetable in your crisper to its new best friend.

As beige as beige gets, tonnato is an Italian sauce of tuna and mayonnaise—and often bonuses like anchovies, capers, olive oil, and lemon juice—whose classic accompaniment is veal. In her recipe for vitello tonnato, A Table in Venice author Skye McAlpine sums it up as: “one of those dishes that neither sounds nor looks half as good as it tastes.”

Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze

The BEST way to cook beets? Roasted! These ruby red beets are roasted in the oven until sweet and caramelized, then tossed with orange zest and a balsamic glaze. So good! Continue reading “Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze” »

The BEST way to cook beets? Roasted! These ruby red beets are roasted in the oven until sweet and caramelized, then tossed with orange zest and a balsamic glaze. So good!

Continue reading "Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze" »

The Apple Crisp That Made Me Fall in Love With…Beets

I didn’t always love beets. In fact, I used to loathe them. But it wasn’t my fault. My first introduction to the root vegetable was via my father, the culprit for my aversion. He would boil them in unsalted tap water until tender and pawn off the red l…

I didn’t always love beets. In fact, I used to loathe them. But it wasn't my fault. My first introduction to the root vegetable was via my father, the culprit for my aversion. He would boil them in unsalted tap water until tender and pawn off the red liquid as "borscht" for dinner. The soup (a generous term for his creation) tasted like dirt—so for the entire duration of my childhood, I was conned into thinking that beets tasted dirty, bitter, and metallic. And to make matters worse, my only other encounter with them was with a sałatki z burakami that was swimming in harsh white vinegar: a not-so-great rendition of a simple beet salad.

It wasn’t until I experienced beets in a dessert that I truly understood why my father loved them so much.

This Pasta Recipe Changed the Way We Cook With Beets

The organization of Abra Beren’s debut cookbook Ruffage tells you most of what you need to know: Instead of categories like breakfast, lunch, and dinner—or even meat, salad, and pasta—the chapters are determined by vegetables, from asparagus to turnips…

The organization of Abra Beren’s debut cookbook Ruffage tells you most of what you need to know: Instead of categories like breakfast, lunch, and dinner—or even meat, salad, and pasta—the chapters are determined by vegetables, from asparagus to turnips.

The idea being: You go to the farmers market and see beets that are so beautiful you have to take them home, but then what do you do with them? Just flip to the beet chapter and find out.

A Cheesy Beet Risotto That’s Almost Too Pretty to Eat

We’ve partnered with La Crema Winery to share the cool weather-ready dinner recipe we’re making from now until next spring: a creamy beetroot risotto that tastes even better when paired up with a crisp, dry rosé.

I like to throw color-themed dinner …

We've partnered with La Crema Winery to share the cool weather-ready dinner recipe we're making from now until next spring: a creamy beetroot risotto that tastes even better when paired up with a crisp, dry rosé.

I like to throw color-themed dinner parties. They’re like costume parties, but for the food—though I will say my guests are always encouraged to dress in any shade of the hue, should they so desire. The color, then, is a prompt not just for our outfits that night, but also for the menu.