The broccoli and beets show us that spring has turned the corner! I’m sure sugar snap peas and fennel are coming soon!
I generally stick with the farmers’ choice selection for the CSA, but this week I made one tiny change. I selected a bunch of red beets in exchange for rainbow beets. I understand why people like the color of golden beets and the concentric red/white pattern in Chioggia beets. But, I’m all about maximizing pigments and all the micro-nutrients that come with them. Red beets have a ton of pigment.
Did you know beets and Swiss chard are actually the same species? Yep, beta vulgaris. They’re just different cultivars. So, never throw away those beet greens! They’re just as good as chard! The leaves aren’t as uniform in a bunch of beets as they are in a bunch of chard. That’s because the beet is harvested as a whole plant, so you get all the leaves from the biggest outer leaves to the littlest inner leaves. Chard is generally harvested leaf by leaf, only selecting the largest from the outside, letting smaller leaves grow for future harvests.
Anyway, I’m going to use the beets to make a root to leaf paella, using the roots, stems and leaves of the beet plant. I just posted my Paella Mother Dish Technique, along with the sister post About Paella. Below is a link to the Beet Paella recipe.
Root to Leaf Beet Paella
Beets work wonderfully with the flavor profile of Spanish chorizo, smoked paprika and saffron. This is a true root to leaf recipe, utilizing the roots, stems and leaves of the beet.
