SubscribeThe Beet goes on
One thing I love about the holidays is the opportunity to share kitchen duties. In my friend Barbara’s kitchen, it’s usually no-holds-barred and she invites her guests to participate fully in preparing the meal. Enter the Ali/Ahmaddiya clan. Barbara and her mate Charles had six of us for dinner and we created an eclectic feast that was fit for royalty.
The Menu
Roasted turkey breast
Collard greens
Sweet potatoes
Chicken wings
Lamb (Bourguignon). My adaptation of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon
Macaroni and cheese
Beets sauté
Arugula salad
Yellow rice with mushrooms
Pound Cake
Sweet Potato Pie
My kids wanted lamb. So after watching Julie and Julia, the movie about Julia Child’s life as seen through the eyes of a bored woman named Julie who blogged her way through the great chef’s first cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking, I was inspired to adapt the Beef Bourguignon recipe to lamb, minus the bacon.
My daughter Khadija brings her own special artistic flair to any food she is working with, and on this occasion it was beets. I had brought them for my salad of arugula, goat cheese, walnuts and cranberries. But Khadija had very different ideas about what to do with the beets, so I handed them off to her. She sautéed them in butter along with julienned onions and thinly sliced mushrooms and a dash of nutmeg. They were exquisite.
One of the most misunderstood foods around is the beet, and as a child I hated them with a passion. They were served regularly at my grandfather’s house and his wife, our Aunt Lena, insisted that we eat every thing that she put on our plates. One of her favorites was Beet Borscht, which she served to us cold in the summer. Fast-forward four decades later and beets have become one of my favorite foods. For one thing they are one of the healthiest root vegetables around and have loads of health benefits.
Whenever I go to a juice bar and order carrot juice, I always mix it with beets and celery because both are great for fighting high blood pressure.
Beets are also wonderful for nourishing pregnant women.
Related posts:
As the mother of five and a journalist, I've always encouraged people to empower themselves with information on healthy foods and lifestyles. Nurturing our children with healthy food is one of the most important jobs we have, yet as families have become busier or drifted apart, meal times have been sacrificed.
