Simple Measure

It’s been a busy, busy week. And it seems like forever since Jared and I sat down for a real dinner at the same time.

There was a housewarming barbecue to attend. And then I took Meg out to a belated birthday sushi-fest. Jared had to go practice a few songs with Corey. Then some friends were in town. And I had to go to the dentist for my very first filling ever.

The drilling and the poking and other implements of mouth torture were bad enough. But worst of all, this white-plastic filling was front and center tooth-wise — and that meant for a few days I needed to lay off anything that could stain it.

Sure, I can pass on the chocolate and tomato sauce. But no coffee? Oh god. And – gasp – no BEETS?!!

Traumatic, yes. Yet somehow, I survived.

Tonight we celebrated the return of normalcy with one of our all time favorite dishes: wheat spirals with lots and lots of beautiful, filling-staining beets.

Brilliantly dyed by beet juices, purple pasta is not only fun, it’s delicious. Use a heavy hand when distributing the freshly grated Parmesan: it’s the perfect foil to the sweet beets.

Wheat Pasta Spirals with Beets

DVH, this one’s for you.

2 – 3 medium beets

1 lb wheat pasta (spirals work well)

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbs fresh basil, chopped fine

2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped fine

1/2 lemon

1 Tbs olive oil

Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil. Add whole beets and boil until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. If beets are large, plan for extra boiling time. (For a shortcut, cube beets before boiling. It’s faster, but you lose some of the beets’ natural sweetness in the process.) Remove from water when tender and set aside to cool.

2. Bring another pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until just al dente.

3. While the pasta is cooking, chop up the basil and parsley. Cut up those beets into bite-sized cubes. Mince the garlic and shave the Parmesan.

4. When the pasta is al dente, strain it, being careful to reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

5. Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a deep frying pan or wok. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 – 3 minutes.

6. Add the beets and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Add the pasta to the saucepan along with the reserved cooking water. (If things still look a little dry, add more olive oil. If you’re watching your fat intake, reserve extra cooking water for this purpose.)

7. Stir the pasta until it begins to turn purple. Add the juice of the 1/2 lemon and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 – 8 minutes, or until pasta is to your desired tenderness.

8. Serve garnished with basil, parsley, Parmesan and black pepper.

Serves 4.