Beets & Greens

Book writing and the change in seasons has inspired eating on the fly. This means I am cooking less from official recipes and instead am composing meals based on what is in the kitchen. Usually this involves toast of some kind, stacked with cheese and veggies. Occasionally there is an egg involved, or if I am feeling completely virtuous, a salad.

I have been trying to feel more virtuous lately, but it has been hard. Longer days inspire evenings filled with cold beers, colorful cocktails, and springy green wines, not springy green leaves that have prudently coated with a slick of olive oil, vinegar, and fresh squeezed lemon.

But sometimes the local abundance helps me maintain the balance I'm searching for right now. Over the weekend I roasted a mess of beets, deep red gems that have found their way into many meals over the past few days.

And instead of tossing the stems and the leaves I washed them, chopped them, and then proceeded to cook them down into a hot red and green mess. I started with a splash of olive oil; when hot I added one finely chopped clove of garlic. Next I threw in all my greens and clamped down a tight lid. The steaming did not take too long, but I did check it occasionally, stirring and adding a bit more water. I finished my beet greens with salt, pepper, and a glug of apple cider vinegar to help add needed bite.

This tangle of greens was so beautiful, so simple, so healthy! For dinner I toasted a big slice of nutty, wheaty bread that I piled with the greens and topped with a poached egg, a drizzle of olive, oil, salt, and pepper.

When I realized how light it still was outside, and thought about how very virtuous I'd been -- for a few minutes anyway -- I decided to drink a negroni.