A lot of cooking for me is trying some thing that you don’t traditionally think would go together.  Such is the case here, when I opened up the fridge and found 5-6 lonely but beautiful golden beets and thanks to another great idea from Ana Sortun (chef at Oleana and author of the cookbook Spice) this dish happened.

If you’re not familiar with what Tzatziki is, it’s basically a Greek yogurt-based side dish that’s usually paired with grilled meat like lamb or chicken.  It’s typically got cucumbers in it, but the base is really simple (and really good too!) including lemon, a little garlic and that great, thick Greek yogurt.  I added some fresh thyme as well, and this worked out well I think you’ll agree.  You can also use this dish as a topper to something like falafel or gyros or Shawarma.

Maybe the best part about this is it’s really simple to make – besides the time it took to roast the beets, we’re talking around 5-10 minutes tops.  I’ve used golden beets here, and I recommend you do the same (or candy beets will work too), but the subtle flavor of the golden beets worked really well.  If you like beets (or even if you don’t and just want to try something new) give this one a shot!

• Around 7-8 small/medium golden or candy beets – ends trimmed and washed
• 1 cup whole milk Greek-style yogurt
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 small cloves fresh garlic – finely diced
• 4-5 sprigs of thyme leaves removed and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Small splash of vegetable or canola oil
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Wash and trim up the beets and arrange them in a shallow oven-safe roasting pan or skillet (I used a small fry pan).  Top the beets with the vegetable oil and some salt and pepper, mix to combine.  Add a few Tbsp of water to the bottom of the pan and cover with two layers of tin foil (fairly tightly).  Add the beets to the oven and roast them for around an hour or until they’re very tender when poked with a knife.

Next make the Tzatziki – First take the diced garlic and add it to a small bowl with the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt.  Let these ingredients sit and marinate together for 10-15 minutes in order to mellow out some of the bite on the garlic.  Next add the yogurt and whisk together with some pepper.  Finally add the thyme and whisk in the olive oil before finishing with a little more salt and perhaps a little more lemon depending on your tastes.

Once the beets are finished, remove them from the oven and rub their skins off or peel them with a paring knife.  Take out a box grater and grate all of the beets down on the large holes of the grater.  Add the grated beets to the yogurt mixture and stir gently to combine, taking care not to break up the beets too much.  Serve on top of grilled meat or alone as a side dish.  Enjoy!

Yesterday, Adrian and I were at the first farmer’s market of the season in Central Square, Cambridge, which is conveniently located less than a block from our house.  Since we used to live in California, where farmer’s markets are year-round, we never realized how much we would miss such easy access to fresh, local produce.  Now that we are once again limited by the seasons, by our calendar, this is when summer officially begins – it is practically a holiday!  We were there with two reusable bags and cash, and we were ready to take home a bounty of vegetables.  When we arrived, we tried to stay optimistic, despite the small number of tables and the overwhelming presence of plants for your garden rather than your refrigerator.  Looking around, there were lots of greens, as one might expect, but we had apparently missed the mark on asparagus and green garlic.  We had to face it – early season farmer’s markets in New England have a relatively limited selection.  We reminded ourselves to be grateful for whatever we could find.

After picking up some fresh local eggs and ground pork, Adrian and I passed by a table that had some delicious looking fresh spinach (stay tuned for that post), and two bunches of beautiful turnips, which we purchased.  When we took this small bounty home, I was trying to figure how I would incorporate the turnips into the dinner I was planning when it occurred to me…dessert!  I decided to build on the turnips’ natural sweet flavor to create a simple dessert that was relatively guilt free.  The result was delicious. I started roasting the turnips in the oven before I began dinner, and then put the custards in the oven before we ate.  By the time we had cleaned up after dinner, dessert was ready.  Adrian and I, who are not typically huge dessert eaters, ate every bite!  I would compare it to a lighter, less sweet version of a pumpkin pie, or perhaps a more earthy creme brulee, and with just a sprinkle of cinnamon and chopped pecans, it was a delightful weeknight dessert!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of turnips (about 1 lb. or 1 1/2 cups) cut into a 1-2 inch dice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Cinnamon, mint, and crushed pecans for garnish

To make the custard:

Toss the turnip pieces with the olive oil and salt and roast at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly golden.  Put the roasted turnip pieces in the food processor to cool for about ten minutes.  Add the milk to the turnips and puree until smooth.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla with a whisk.  Add a pinch of salt.  Stir in the turnip puree.

The consistency will be quite thin at this point.

Pour the custard mixture into two small ramekins.  Place the ramekins in a roasting pan, and create a water bath by filling the roasting pan with about two inches of water.  Place the custards in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  The custard should become a light golden brown and the custard should be set enough to hold its place in the ramekin when tilted.

Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool for about ten or fifteen minutes, or until the ramikens are just cool enough to handle.  Garnish with cinnamon and pecans, ice cream, or fresh whipped cream, depending on your preference, and serve.  The above recipe makes two servings, but can easily be doubled for additional guests.

I imagine that this recipe could be easily adapted to include any squash or root vegetable that is naturally sweet, such as pumpkin or sweet potato.  I would also guess that a savory version of this dish with thyme and goat cheese rather than vanilla and sugar would make an excellent side dish.  Give it a try and let me know how it works out!

Here are some more root vegetable dessert ideas:

• Maple Roasted Butternut Squash from Dinner and Dessert
• Butternut Squash Custard from Dessert by Candy

Though I don’t watch the Food Network all that much (I tend to like the shows that get canceled, like ‘Molto Mario’).  There is a show that I’ve been liking of late – Jamie Oliver’s ‘Jamie at Home’.  The show involves Jamie at his awesome looking house, which is surrounded by gardens with vegetables growing everywhere.  Unfortunately, the show airs on Saturday mornings at 7:30am, a time that I’m typically in bed (along with most of the rest of the world).  So I ended up with the cookbook of the same name, and I’ve been a big fan of how it’s put together which is by seasons and vegetables that Jamie grows.

The first recipe that jumped out at me was the awesome looking onion soup recipe that was a bit different from the traditional French variety, but with all of the awesome, savory elements that you want with onion soup.  Cooking the onions for over an hour over low heat makes them become super soft, sweet and delicious.  This variation of the dish also uses a bunch of sage and cheddar cheese, instead of Gruyere.  All is all though, an excellent dish for a cool spring day – total comfort food here:

I like the idea of using a few different types of onions: red, yellow, white, shallots and leeks.  Turns out awesome!

Ingredients:

• A bunch of onions: I used 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 white, 3 leeks (white parts only) and 2 medium shallots – all chopped roughly (see picture)
• A handful of fresh sage, probably around 10-15 leaves – chopped + 6 whole leaves reserved for garnish
• 4 cups chicken stock (or beef, but I used chicken)
• 4-5 cloves garlic – chopped
• 6 slices good crusty bread – sourdough works great here
• ~1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese – grated
• Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp. good butter
• olive oil

Method:

This is pretty simple, but being patient cooking the onions is key.  Start with the chopped sage and garlic in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan that has a good tight fitting lid.  Over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and then add the sage and garlic.  Let the garlic cook but not brown.  Add in the onions and turn the heat down a little (to low-medium).  Season them with salt and bit of pepper

Cover the pot, but leave it just a little bit ajar.  Cook the onions for around an hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes to make sure the onions aren’t burning or coloring at all.  After about an hour, take the lid off and cook for another 20 minutes.  Add the stock into the onions and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and let the pot simmer for around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 500F (max temp) and prepare the bread by toasting it a little bit…or if it’s stale, just use it as is.

You want to cut it into shapes that fit into your serving bowls.  The bowls you use should be oven proof!!!  Ramekins or soup crocks work perfectly. Take the reserved sage leaves and sprinkle them with a little olive oil.

Ladle some of the soup into your bowls and place a piece of the bread on top of each.  Sprinkle the bowls with a little cheese and a whole sage leaf.  Finish the bowls with a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and throw them into the oven.  They’ll be done in 5 minutes or so, when the cheese starts to just brown.

Serves 6

The rutabaga is a yellow turnip, related to radishes and cabbage but interestingly also in the same plant genus as mustard seed. Many people don’t use Rutabaga, and opt for potatoes instead – but the rutabaga is a healthier alternative and adds better flavor than potatoes in my opinion! Next time you want to make mashed potatoes (especially to serve with seafood), try this instead! Though the end result looks a little like baby food, the color and smell of this mash is totally appealing.  This dish incorporates some Asian flavors, and will add some sweetness to your dinner plate.

This recipe started with the very basic root vegetable mash method, but walking around in the store, I happened upon some lemongrass and ginger and thought why not give it a shot?  It turned out very good, especially paired with a simple pan-seared swordfish:

• 2 medium Rutabagas (about 1/2lb., see picture) – peeled and cut into medium cubes

• 3 loose Carrots (again about 1/2-3/4lb.) – washed (peeling optional!)
• 1 stalk of Lemongrass (~2 tbsp.) – roughly chopped (remove outer layer and bottom bulb and chop like a scallion)
• 2 tbsp. Ginger – one tbsp. minced, the other roughly chopped
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 1 tbsp. Honey (more to taste)
• 2 tbsp. Butter (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a pot of water, and add in half the lemongrass and half the ginger (the rough chopped half).  Let these aromatics boil in the water for a minute or two, then add a good pinch of salt to the water.  Add in your rutabaga and carrots and cook them until they are just cooked through, NOT TOO SOFT.  Drain and transfer back to the pot (discarding the ginger and lemongrass).

At this point, add your butter if you use it and loosely mix the vegetables.

If you have a food processor (if you don’t see below): put your garlic clove, the rest of your ginger and lemongrass into the processor and combine the ingredients.  Add the cooked rutabaga/carrot mixture, honey and pepper to the food processor and combine, adding salt to taste.

No food processor version: finely dice the lemongrass, ginger and garlic together (or in a mortar and pestle).  Add them to the pot with the rutabaga/carrot mixture and mash like you would potatoes.  Add in the honey and pepper and salt to taste.

Makes 3-4 servings