Monday, October 17, 2011

This one is for Malissa.....


Malissa you gave me one of the best thank you gifts I have ever received and tonight I dedicate my recipe for Beet Balls and Pistachio Pesto to you.

I don't know about you, but I love beets. When I was little, beets to me came in a jar and were pickled. I never knew what they looked like raw until I did a stage at Radius and had to dice, gold and red beets for an appetizer they had on their menu. I remember taking the rag and rubbing the skins off, then slowly dicing them into small cubes. As I diced them, I popped a couple cubes in my mouth. "Mmm, different than those pickled beets mom used to serve us", I thought. The flavor was sweet and almost grassy, making them refreshing.

I later went on to work at Via Matta and worked pantry for the first month where roasted beets were part of the antipasto di magro platter. This became my favorite way to make beets at home and they became a staple on our Christmas Day table as part of the antipasto.

Over the summer, I catered an event and wanted to incorporate beets into the event in a different way than seen before. So, I came up with a fun treat, called beet balls. The recipe is simple and uses very few ingredients. I served them with pistachio pesto to bring out the pistachios in the beet balls. Here is my recipe for Beet Balls and Pistachio Pesto....

Beet Balls
Makes 36 mini beet balls
4 beets, peeled and shredded through a food processor
1/2 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
1/4 cup unsalted, chopped pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup goat cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep baking sheet by brushing pan with olive oil. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion out the beets balls and place onto prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until crisp. Serve with pistachio pesto (recipe follows)

Pistachio Pesto
2 cups flat leaf parsley, washed and stems trimmed
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup unsalted pistachio nuts
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a food processor place the parsley, garlic and pistachio nuts and pulse these ingredients. Drizzle the oil in as the machine is processing and blend until a loose paste. I like to keep the pesto thick and spreadable. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the beet balls or with your favorite pasta or use it on a grilled cheese. Enjoy!

Thanks again Malissa! Looking forward to baking some treats this week.