Roasted and Glazed Beets with pistachio pesto

I’ve always loved the earthy, sweet taste of beets, even when I was a little kid and only knew beets that came out of a can.

The first time I encountered a fresh beet was like a revelation to me. They’re not so pretty to look at raw, with their dark muddy skin, all covered with hairy little roots, but once roasted and peeled, they’re transformed to glistening orbs of ruby colored goodness. Sliced open, they’re even more impressive, with their concentric saturnian rings.

I have cooked beets many ways, and I think the best way (and the easiest way) to cook them is to roast them whole, skins on. The trick is to wrap each one individually in foil before putting them in the oven. A slow roasting will coax all the natural sugars in the beets to get ready to explode onto your tastebuds.

Once roasted, they can be enjoyed so many ways. In fact, you could then eat them just as they are, perhaps with a little butter and salt. Most often, that’s all I do with them.

And here’s a tip—don’t throw away those greens! Wash them well, slice them up, and sauté them in a bit of olive oil and garlic, Finish with a touch of salt and a few grinds from the pepper mill. They are a delicious vegetable and a superfood.

This is the way I prepared them for my Passover Seder, to be served along with the gefilte fish, so that the vegetarians and non-fish eaters wouldn’t be twiddling their thumbs during the fish course. It’s a good thing I didn’t skimp on quantity, because those who had the fish also took the beets. Even the 20-month-old liked them.

Once peeled, I cut the beets into wedges and roasted them again, with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and just a touch of brown sugar. Then, back into the oven they went, to roast a second time until they began to caramelize. Now, I could have stopped right here and served them like this, because they were already delicious. But I wanted to take them from delicious to fabulous. Enter, the pistachio pesto!

This recipe really isn’t a big deal, You can roast and peel the beets the day before, if you like. They take 5 minutes to dress for the second roasting, and the pesto comes together in minutes in the food processor.

I hope you enjoy them as much as my family did.

For the Beets

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red beets, medium-sized, scrubbed clean, green tops removed and saved for later.

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

• Salt to taste

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350°

• Rub each beet with a little olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt. Wrap them individually in foil, sealing the foil tightly, and roast them for an hour or two, until they’re very soft. You can put them right on the oven rack. The time will vary by both the size and the age of the beets. Test them by sticking a fork right through the foil. Then remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes.

• They’re easier to skin while they’re still hot, so as soon as you can handle them without raising blisters, unwrap one beet. holding a sheet of paper towel in your hand, pick up the beet. The paper towel will also protect your hand from the heat. Rub all over with the paper towel and the peel should rub right off. Repeat with the other beets. At this point you can store them in the fridge, or you can finish them now. When you’re ready to finish them, turn the oven up to 425°.

• Combine the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and reduce to a thick glaze.

• Cut beets in wedge-shaped quarters, or smaller if they’re very large. Toss them in the glaze. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the beets out in a single layer. Slide the pan into the oven and roast them for about 15 minutes, until they’ve absorbed most of the glaze and are looking “roasted.”

• Toss the beets in some pesto before serving. They can be served chilled, warmed, or at room temperature. If you’re going to re-warm them, don’t add the pesto until after you do so.

• Garnish with the reserved herb leaves, whole or roughly torn.

Pistachio Pesto

This pesto is fabulous on the beets in this recipe, but is also wonderful on lots of other things. Try it on pasta, including stuffed pasta, like ravioli or tortellini. If it’s too thick you can add some more olive oil or a little pasta water. It’s also great slathered on good Italian bread or pita.

• 1 cup shelled pistachios toasted and unsalted

• 1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few extra leaves for garnish

• ½ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, plus a few extra leaves for garnish

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• ¾ cup olive oil

• salt and pepper

• a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Combine the pistachios, herbs, and garlic in the food processor, and process to a chunky paste. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.