It's almost Passover! We're busy cleaning the house in preparation of the upcoming holiday (when leavened foods are not eaten). Beets are a classic Passover food, usually boiled in water with sugar to make borscht. I recently spotted the cutest bag of little beets at Supermarche PA and couldn't resist. I've been trying to avoid starches at dinner and eating more vegetables, so why not add beets to that list? I used half the bag raw, just peeled and sliced or grated and mixed into salads, but I really wanted to roast them. Roasting beets intensifies their flavor, brings out their sweetness, and makes them easy to peel. I did some research and discovered it's so easy that I'll be making this a lot more often now that I know how!
Roasted Beets
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Rinse and scrub the dirt off the beets.
Place on a large piece of aluminum foil.
Drizzle with oil, olive or any kind. You can sprinkle with salt too if you like, I didn't.
Fold the foil over the beets, crimping the sides closed.
Place on a baking sheet or in a pan to avoid juices spilling and make clean up easier just in case.
Roast beets until tender. The amount of time this will take will vary depending on the size of the beets, how many there are etc. Start checking them for tenderness after a half hour, mine were small and took a little over an hour. A fork or knife should slide in easily.
*You might hear sizzling from the foil packet, I was surprised by it, but don't worry it's fine.
Remove from oven, let cool until you can handle them, and peel.
Eat as is, whole, or slice into a salad. Drizzle with olive oil and salt if you like. Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Rinse and scrub the dirt off the beets.
Place on a large piece of aluminum foil.
Drizzle with oil, olive or any kind. You can sprinkle with salt too if you like, I didn't.
Fold the foil over the beets, crimping the sides closed.
Place on a baking sheet or in a pan to avoid juices spilling and make clean up easier just in case.
Roast beets until tender. The amount of time this will take will vary depending on the size of the beets, how many there are etc. Start checking them for tenderness after a half hour, mine were small and took a little over an hour. A fork or knife should slide in easily.
*You might hear sizzling from the foil packet, I was surprised by it, but don't worry it's fine.
Remove from oven, let cool until you can handle them, and peel.
Eat as is, whole, or slice into a salad. Drizzle with olive oil and salt if you like. Enjoy!
These fritters are a favourite side dish in my family. Healthy(ish) crispy yet soft inside, great taste, flexible to be made with any type of squash (see note below) and very, very tasty. These get eaten as soon as they're out of the frying pan. Delicious.
Butternut Squash Fritters
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 pound grated butternut or other squash
1 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
or half a small onion diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Dash of black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying
NOTE: I love using butternut squash for this, but regular green zucchini works great too. Yet since it has more water content, you might want to salt it after grating, and then squeeze out the extra moisture by hand, or with a cheesecloth. It makes the fritters less soggy, but I don't do that step anymore and the results are fine. Optional. If yes, add another 1/4 tsp of salt after squeezing out the extra liquid.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 pound grated butternut or other squash
1 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
or half a small onion diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Dash of black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying
NOTE: I love using butternut squash for this, but regular green zucchini works great too. Yet since it has more water content, you might want to salt it after grating, and then squeeze out the extra moisture by hand, or with a cheesecloth. It makes the fritters less soggy, but I don't do that step anymore and the results are fine. Optional. If yes, add another 1/4 tsp of salt after squeezing out the extra liquid.
Peel squash and grate. I prefer a food processor, but it can be done by hand too.
Add the salt, scallion/onion, egg and pepper. Mix.
.
Sift the flour on top of the squash mixture, add baking powder, with a fork stir the two dry ingredients together to combine.
Stir into squash, until it looks like this:
If it's too 'dry' and not mushy enough, you can add a little oil to the mixture.
In your best frying pan, heat oil.
Drop fritters into pan by spoonful or forkful. Don't overcrowd. You can pat them flatter with a fork or spatula to get the squash strings to lie nicely.
Cook for 3-4 min on each side until they have a nice golden brown colour.
Drop fritters into pan by spoonful or forkful. Don't overcrowd. You can pat them flatter with a fork or spatula to get the squash strings to lie nicely.
Cook for 3-4 min on each side until they have a nice golden brown colour.
Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
You may then place on a baking sheet or pan and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until needed if you like. This will keep them crispy and warm. I never do it but it's an option.
They keep for up to a week in the fridge, and freeze very well. Simply reheat in a 325 degree F oven until hot and crispy again.
You may then place on a baking sheet or pan and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until needed if you like. This will keep them crispy and warm. I never do it but it's an option.
They keep for up to a week in the fridge, and freeze very well. Simply reheat in a 325 degree F oven until hot and crispy again.