In Season: Beets
It’s June, which means beets are popping up in your backyard garden and farmers’ markets everywhere. I used to be scared of beets: super intense color, freaky looking soups like borsch, and the theory that they taste like dirt.
Luckily, wine country chefs are fanatical about beets, making them a common sight on menus during the summer. I thank those chefs for forcing me to the beet side, where I’ve learned to appreciate the beets unique history, colorful diversity, and earthy sweet tastes.
I’ve been buying my beets at Sonoma Garden Park on Saturday mornings. Open every Saturday from 9AM-1PM, their market sells seasonal organic produce from the garden and eggs from their on-site chickens.
The prices are the best in Sonoma Valley: a pound of beets for $2 on the day I was there, which makes “buying organic” a lot more budget friendly when you are young and poor (or have a family to feed). 19996 7th St. E. Sonoma; 996-4883; sonomagardenpark.org
The beets I purchased got mixed up with my current food obsession: funky hummus.
Funky hummus!? Think hummus made with fava beans, avocado, or whatever other veggies and fruits we can mix with chickpeas for a fabulous Mediterranean-fusion fueled delight. Here’s a tasty, and beautifully colored, recipe for funky beet hummus created by Emma Chapman of A Beautiful Mess and slightly modified by yours truly.
You’ll need:
- 1 large beet or 2-3 small beets depending on size
- 1 can of chickpeas
- juice from 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup tahini paste
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Set your oven for 400°F. Scrub your beet(s) and chop it up into large cubes (save any juice if you can in a small bowl). Bake the cubes in the oven, on a baking sheet, for about 25-30 minutes, or until you can pierce them with a fork. Let the beet cool after you remove it from the oven. Drain your chickpeas. I suggest peeling them (Google it!) for a smoother hummus.
In a food processor, combine the beet, saved beet juice, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini paste, salt, and goat cheese. Pulse it, blending it until it’s smooth. While you’re blending it, pour in the olive oil. Place it in a bowl and add a touch of goat cheese on top for presentation. Enjoy!
