Dear Yotam Ottolenghi,
Beet is one of my favorite vegetables. Maybe it’s the deep vibrant color purple red that captivates my imagination. About the only thing that worries me is the eerie-looking red beet juice bleeding all over my hands as I cut it. Otherwise, I love everything about beets. Honestly, I really don’t know or don’t bother to understand why I am attracted to one vegetable more than others. It must be one of those instinctual and primitive things that are programed in my DNA. More than that, I like my beets roasted. You wrote: “The possibility of blanching beets could do with some championing to those who always incline toward the hour-long boil or roasted: keeping a bite on the purple roots adds another layer of texture in a salad…” Sadly I am one of those who insist on roasting the beets and now you know me by name. I plead guilty for changing your otherwise perfect and amazing recipe: beet, avocado and pea salad. We are in the cold heart of winter and all I want is to heat up the oven as much as I can. When summer arrives, I’d definitely follow your direction to blanch the beets.
I remain a huge fan,
Flour.ish.en
I can write freely now once I got that off my chest. However, there is not much to write about other than my excitement of discovery-–the brightness of beets, the creamy texture of avocado and the sweetness of pea––all brought together in perfect harmony. I substituted mix salad greens for pea shoots since that’s what I had. In the end, food is all about taste. One look at a few of my hastily taken shots of the dish, you know I was in a hurry to put food in my mouth. I almost ate most of what I prepared, there was hardly anything left for anyone else.
This dish is so easy to put together and delightful to look at. Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.
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