Inspired by the gorgeous bunch of beets in my Week 7 CSA, and following the outline of my Pallea Mother Dish Technique, I made a favorite variation the I call Root to Leaf Beet Paella. If paella is new to you, check out my About Paella post. If you’ve never thought about vegetable forward paellas, now’s the time to start thinking about them. Around here, beets pulled fresh from the ground with their greens still attached are seasonal in the spring and the fall. Make sure you give this recipe a try when you can find beets with their greens. In a pinch you can use stored beets and a bunch of Swiss chard. Beets and Swiss chard are actually the same species, beta vulgaris, so their stems and greens are quite similar.
The broth is a major element of paella. For this dish, I chose beef broth. The main reasoning is that borsht is as much a beef stew as it is a beet soup. Beets and beef broth work wonderfully there. And it works great for this paella. But you can make this recipe you. One time I made this using home-made duck stock and served it with duck confit. That variation was off the hook!
Also, I went the most convenient route this time. I roasted the beet root alongside the braising pan full of paella. But, another option would be to slice and then grill the beets, along with some merguez sausages. Bringing some of that grill char to the beets is really nice.
Photo Walk Through of the Recipe
Root to Leaf Beet Paella
Equipment
- Enameled cast iron braiser, or enameled cast iron Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3-4 oz. Spanish chorizo casing removed & chopped to a small dice
- Olive Oil
- 1 medium onion (6-8 oz) finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stalk green garlic, diced substitute 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 25 saffron threads crumbled,
- 1.5 cups short grain brown rice
- 2 oz Dry white wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 bunch Beets with greens (16-24 oz)
Instructions
- Arrange two racks in the oven, a lower rack for a braiser pan and an upper rack for a backing dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate the beet roots, stems and greens. Rince, peel and chop the roots into 1/2" dice. Rince the stems, dice, and hold the stems with the diced onions and green garlic. Roughly chop the leaves, wash them and dry with a salad spinner.
- Place an enameled cast iron braiser on the stovetop at medium-high heat. Sauté chorizo with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, rendering the fat from the sausage.
- Add the diced onion, beet stems and green garlic with ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. If there isn’t enough oil to make everything glisten, add another splash. Sauté until the onions are softened and translucent.
- While things are sautéing, toss the chopped beet roots with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then spread them out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Make a well and add tomato paste to the center of the well. After a minute or two, stir together the aromatic mixture.
- Add the rice and coat it well with the aromatic mixture. Stir in the saffron, paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Add the dry white wine and use a wooden spatula to deglaze any fond that developed during the previous steps.
- Add the broth and stir. Turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, stir in the chopped beet leaves.
- Cover the pot and place on the lower rack in the oven. Also place the baking pan on the upper rack in the oven. The pot will cook for 50 minutes. The beets will likely be done in 40 minutes. Remove the beets when they are fully roasted and tender.
- Remove the pot from the oven. Stir in the roasted beet roots. Serve hot. Optionally garnish with parsley or chives.
