Only For Beet Lovers...

I was running low on veg stocks and since it was prior to CNY, I couldn't bring myself to brave the throngs of crowd in supermarkets to buy veg. So, I digged about and found a pair of beets waiting to be used. Somehow, just the day before or so, I caught a glimpse of the Rachel Ray Show and she was making drunken spaghetti in beets. Her version was to cook the pasta in red wine and add the sauteed beets to it. I decided to do it a little different by cooking the beets and pasta separately and tossing them in together. I loved the deep burgundy red of the pasta as the beets stained it beautifully. Topped off with some Chinese celery for contrast, it made a rather tasty meal for me. Hubby has never liked beets, but he did enjoy the pasta minus the shredded beets. He suggested alternatively to puree the beets into a sauce. Maybe I'll do that the next time round. 

Recipe for Beets Spaghetti (For 2 ample servings)

2 small beets (or 1 medium beet)

1 onion, sliced

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp of chilli powder (reduce/increase to preference)

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (adds a nice 'chickeny' taste to it)

salt to taste

Olive oil

Sufficient pasta for two.

Some Chinese celery/spring onions for garnish

Method:

1) Prepare beets - I trimmed the sprouts of the beets, scrubbed and boiled it whole for about 15 mins to 20 mins. After which, I peeled parts of the beets that I found offensive and left the other bits of skin on. (The beet's skin is edible. Just make sure to remove all the soil and dirt) 

2) I julienned the beets but I think a food processor will easily do the job as well. 

3) In a pan, heat some olive oil and add the onions and garlic and saute until brown and fragrant. Add chilli powder and continue to saute until its cooked. (At this point the chilli powder might stick to the pan, I usually add a tiny bit of water instead of oil)

4) Add the beets and salt to taste and saute until it is completely cooked. It should go limpy. It will taste pretty good by itself now. For a more savoury taste, add nutritional yeast.

5) Prepare pasta according to package instruction. Once cooked, drain most of the water away, leaving the pasta a little wet. Throw in the beets, toss and serve.

6) Garnish with spring onions or Chinese celery