The Food Beet

I tried something new: beets. I picked them up at random at the Farmer's Market and then read up on how to prepare them.

So beets - labor-intensive, but not difficult. You boil them a long time, skin them, then do what you like with them. In this case, I picked a recipe from the Joy of Cooking wherein I roasted them with a granny smith apple, some onion, and nutmeg, all chopped up.

I didn't have time to eat them that day, so I'm happy to say they heat up well.

The beets were what's new, so in a sense the pork chop was in a supporting role - a variation of earlier work: slather in olive oil, rubbed with Andalusian paprika, basil, and a little salt, roll the fat side in black pepper. Cooked in an oven, alternating sides. Not too dry, very tasting, and pairing well with the beets. Served with brown rice.

Mung Beans with Vindaloo Sauce

I took a shortcut today. I heated p the uncut mung beans from the other night in water for about twenty minutes, then pured in a helping of the Vindaloo sauce I had left over from chicken the other night. Ten or fifteen minutes later, I poured this into a blender and blended for about two minutes. The result was great - lots of flavor, both the earthy tones of the mung beans and the spicy flavor of the Vindaloo sauce. The only thing I might do differently in the future would be to cook the beans, process them, and then cook in the sauce a bit.

Served with rice, and my new pork chop staple: Thick pork chops, stuffed with goat cheese. In a small bowl, blend the goat cheese with basil and Andalusian paprika, along with pepper to taste. After stuffing the chop, smear the remaining cheese mixture on the sides, along with a pinch of salt and pepper on each side; also, roll the edges of each shop in black pepper, or at least the fatty side. Broil 5 -8 minutes per side. Served with a cold, perky Chardonnay.