Welcome to another exciting week of Rootabaga!
This week we’re getting cozy with a warming Golden Beet Curry. I’ve been really enjoying the process of switching up familiar recipes with seasonal offerings instead. Curries often call for tender veggies like bell peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, or broccoli. I had never had a beet curry and wondered if it could work since I’m always looking for a new way to eat this budget friendly and long lasting root. I was quite happy with the results and I’ll share how to make the Golden Beet Curry below. Sadly, coming to an end this week is parsnip and leek season, so we’re sharing the last of this year’s crop with you as well!
This week the small produce share also has:
Golden Beets – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
Hot House Tomatoes – Den Haan Greenhouses, conventionally-grown
Parsnips – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
Sweet Potatoes – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
Watermelon Radish – Taproot Farm, certified organic
Gala Apples – Noggins Corner Farm, conventionally-grown
Leeks – Elmridge Farm, spray-free
The large share has all of the above, as well as:
2lbs of sweet potatoes instead of 1lb
A full pound of watermelon radish instead of ½lb
Buttercup Squash – Noggins Corner Farm, conventionally-grown
English Cucumber – Den Haan Greenhouses, conventionally-grown
The golden beets are a delight to cook with. Despite their orangey-brown skin, they’re a brilliant yellow inside like they’ve been dyed with fresh turmeric. They taste similar to red beets, but are a bit less earthy tasting, so if you’re not a big fan of that flavour golden beets may be the variety for you! This curry could be made with any beet variety, but the yellow beets stop the curry from turning pink, and their lighter sweet flavour doesn’t compete with the curry spices.
- 1 ½ lbs (half the bag) of golden beets, peeled and chopped to 1cm cubes
- 4 cardamom pods (optional)
- 3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
- 1 block Extra Firm Acadiana Tofu, drained and cut to 1cm cubes
- 2 cans of coconut milk
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lime juice or rice vinegar
- Fresh cilantro (if desired)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees to prepare to roast the beets. Roasting them before adding them to the curry aids in cooking time and brings out more flavour. Place the beets on a roasting pan and toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until tender.
- While the beets are roasting, prepare the curry. Heat a large skillet to medium heat with some olive or coconut oil. If using the cardamom pods, crush them slightly with the back of a knife or mortar and pestle to open the pod, once the pan is hot add them to the oil and allow them to flavour the oil for 30 seconds or so. Then add the ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and let them cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and season with salt and pepper.
- Let the spices cook together for a couple minutes, if the mixture is too dry and sticking at this point add a small splash of water. Then add the tofu, stirring well to coat the tofu with spices. Let that cook for a couple minutes more.
- Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and lime juice or vinegar. Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer until the beets are done cooking. If the curry gets too thick, add some water to thin it to your desired consistency. Once the beets are ready add them to the curry. Taste the curry broth, adding more salt or soy sauce to boost flavour, curry powder for spice, or lime juice to brighten if needed. Serve the curry with rice and fresh cilantro.
I was so happy with how the roasted golden beets worked in this dish! With the beautiful vibrant yellow, this mildly spiced coconut curry really is the perfect winter meal. I liked it so much I made it again and added half a turnip from last week to roast along with the beets. The combination was really tasty, and I think it would work great with watermelon radish, carrots or parsnips as well.
Parsnips are quickly becoming one of my favourite winter vegetables. They have such a unique flavour that adds so much to wherever it’s used. Just about anywhere you would typically reach for a carrot, you can substitute some parsnip. For example in a chicken noodle soup use a parsnip to replace some of the carrots. Or making a creamy vegetable soup? A parsnip boiled, mashed, and added to the broth will boost the broth’s flavour and help with thickening the soup without needing to add flour or cornstarch. They also roast wonderfully as the oven brings out their natural sweetness. Simply peel, slice into sticks, toss with olive oil and your favourite seasonings, and bake at 375 degrees until soft. Since I made parsnips scones a few weeks back, I’ve been eager to try baking more with parsnips. This parsnip cake turned out exceptionally well: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/parsnip-spice-cake-with-ginger-cream-cheese-frosting-234161. It makes a deliciously moist cake, similar to carrot cake but with a twist. I opted to omit the frosting for a lighter alternative and it was great as is.
I was looking for something new to do with leeks and found this recipe for a Leek and Goat Cheese Omelette: https://www.ricardocuisine.com/en/recipes/6499-leek-and-goat-cheese-omelet. They slice the leeks into rounds and sautee them before gently pouring the egg mixture on top of the arranged rounds and topping it with goat cheese. I’d like to try it with the Ran-Cher Acres Herb & Garlic goat cheese. Looks like a perfect dish for weekend brunch.
Last but not least I’m thinking about this Sweet Potato Crust Quiche:https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/spinach-goat-cheese-quiche-sweet-potato-crust/. It’s a dish my mother-in-law makes and doesn’t have a recipe for, but she said it’s basically this method. Rather than a traditional pie crust, this quiche uses thinly sliced and roasted sweet potatoes lined around the pie plate as the “crust.” It’s easier than making a pie crust and it gives a classic quiche a really neat update.
I hope this gives some inspiration on how to use you veggies this week. We are in the thick of February, but there’s still enough local produce around for us to eat different veggies from week to week, and that is pretty cool.
See you next week folks!
Robin
