a warm beet and spinach salad, drizzled with balsamic and sprinkled with toasted pine nuts

It was the smell of beets that won me over. My parents grew up with the canned kind, and, because they love little sis and me, had never subjected us them, so I had my first beet at fifteen. I brought a bunch home from a farmer's market: so purple-red they were almost black, a dusting of dirt still on them, greens thick and intact. I was a little dubious of the heavy, hard-fleshed purple things. Then I started chopping.

To me, beets smell like the essence of earth, real and deep and fresh. It wins me over every time I slice into them--it helps, too, that they're sweet and delicious, and they turn my knives and hands funny colors.  (I'm purple-handed right now, as a matter of fact).

This salad could have stood on its own for dinner, but we also had a loaf of bread and a Turkish chicken dish (that I didn't photograph; I guess I'll just have to make it again. Oh well. (It was delicious)) and went to bed feeling stuffed.

Warm Beet and Spinach Salad

2 golden beets, with greens attached
1 red beet, with greens attached
1 C spinach
2 Tb olive oil, plus more to drizzle on the salad at end
1/4 C pine nuts
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
balsamic, to taste
1/4 C goat cheese cheese (optional)

Set a pot of water on to boil.

Remove the greens from the beets and set them aside. Peel the beets. Slice the beets into 1/4 inch disks and then quarter the disks. Simmer the beets for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the beet greens roughly. Saute the greens and pine nuts in 2 Tb of olive oil. Beet greens are hardy; don't be afraid of really cooking them. Having them brown and caramelize a little at the edges isn't a bad thing. Salt generously and grind on pepper.

Place the raw spinach, also roughly chopped, in the serving bowl. Drain the beets. Add warm beets, pine nuts and beet greens to the serving bowl and toss. Their heat will warm the dish and wilt the spinach just enough to be tasty. Add any desired olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, or goat cheese.

Eat the salad warm.

What's your favorite root vegetable?