Beeting Myself Up
There are very few foods I will not try. Octopus is one of my favorite kinds of seafood. Yes, I trash talk kale all the time but I will gladly eat it in certain preparations. I’ve been known to buy odd looking produce for the sole purpose of learning how to prepare it. Then there are beets. I can’t talk about them without sounding like a four year old. They are yucky. They taste like dirt. I don’t like them. I don’t want them. NO! NO! NO! I feel like an imposter foodie. How can I be so passionate about trying all kinds of food when a common root vegetable has such power over me?
Then I spotted this inspirational tweet from ChooseMyPlate.gov:
I realized I had not tried beets in a very long time. Maybe I just needed another exposure to them. Thankfully, one of my Twitter buddies Dan330 shared this intriguing recipe for lemony beet hummus. I like hummus; would the addition of beets positively or negatively influence my experience? Only one way to find out: grab the blender and give it a try.
Ready to roast. Mine took a little longer to get tender than the recipe noted.
Here’s the final product. I tasted it to adjust seasoning and added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice. I reserve final judgement until tomorrow, though.
And then a rest in the fridge for the “flavors to marry, as the Fancy Food Television personalities like to say. It’s actually just simple diffusion and entropy. Over time, all the flavor compounds distribute themselves evenly throughout the food.
While the hummus spends an overnight in the fridge, I offer a few notes:
- Yes, I am now following Denise at https://twitter.com/mylifecookbook. I will also read her blog. Her recipes are pretty amazing and I think you should follow her, also.
- Yes, I used bottled lemon juice. I don’t care what the Fancy Food Television personalities like to say. Anyone who can taste the difference should go out into the woods and sniff for truffles.
- The recipe suggests one can add more garlic if desired. I did, because who uses garlic one clove at a time?
- There was no directive on can size for the canned chick peas, so I figured I’d use a large (1 lb 13 oz) can. After returning home from the market I realized I had bought a large can of white beans, so I used two 15 oz cans of chick peas. Either way- just about 30 oz of chick peas is just about right for this.
- I could not find tahini at my supermarket (which is odd; it is usually there), so I used about a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil for texture and added moisture.
So, it’s not too bad. I can still taste a little beet. Mr. Food It Yourself could not get past the color and therefore did not try it.
So, I do not yet consider myself a convert to beets. However, I feel as though I have a new appreciation for this root vegetable. I’m glad I gave it a try! So, DIYeters, don’t be content to say “I don’t like that food”. Maybe you didn’t like it before and now you will. Maybe there is an unconventional preparation that you will enjoy. Keep trying that food!
