When I was a 15-year-old exchange student living in Venezuela, I would often walk by a night club called La Remolacha.\u00a0 It struck me as a fabulous word, and I made it part of my working vocabulary.\u00a0 It is the Venezuelan word for \u201cbeet\u201d and is pronounced \u201cray-mo-lah-chah\u201d.\u00a0 It kind of sounds like a dance when you say it.\u00a0 Little did I know, at the time, that the word and the vegetable would be favorites of mine for years!<\/p>\n
As a kid, the color of beets scared me away from eating them. As a young adult, I learned to appreciate both the brilliant fuchsia color and their sweet, earthy flavor.<\/p>\n
Today, I eat beets frequently.\u00a0 I love to roast them with other root vegetables, lightly marinated in fresh orange juice to bring out their sweetness. \u00a0I also loved to eat them chilled and tossed with goat cheese (before I couldn\u2019t), toasted walnuts and dill \u2013 a simple combination I first tasted in the former Soviet Union where beets are a staple.<\/p>\n
Most important to any of these dishes is that the beets are freshly cooked, not canned or pickled, and served on their own or with ingredients that complement, and even highlight, their flavor.\u00a0 This recipe, which includes a base of celery, apples, and walnuts, does just that, without the heaviness of the cabbage or potatoes in a traditional borscht-style soup.<\/p>\n
Tip: <\/strong>Before I go any further, I\u2019d like to point out that while you can certainly boil your beets, the best way to prepare them is to roast them in foil.\u00a0 They are sweeter, retain their color and nutrients better, and it\u2019s really pretty easy \u2013 just a piece of aluminum foil, a bit of olive oil, and some patience.\u00a0 When they come out of the oven, the skin comes right off with just a little massaging.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a video tutorial from Chow.com<\/a> to show you how.<\/p>\n