Bread and Beta

*Recipe Update – after checking in with BF, I had to update this recipe*

I am extremely lucky to have a wonderful boyfriend. As an artist, he has a very flexible schedule and is frequently working at home. Over the summer he has been taking care of many things that I have been too busy to attend to. Most importantly, he’s become the main person to pick up our CSA. We switched our day from Saturday to Tuesday so that we wouldn’t miss any pickups due to weekend adventures. Every Tuesday, Mike faithfully gets our box and brings it home. Over the phone he’ll excitedly tell me about the amazing greens, vegetables and fruit that is that week’s bounty.

Mike bringing home our farm share.

Many days when I get home, he’s already turned our box contents into a feast waiting for me. The other night, he made another farm share special, but this time he really got very creative. The results were something beyond our standard salad, or sautéed veggies. Although I didn’t make this recipe, I’ll try to give you an approximation for creating this flavor combination on your own. Well worth the effort! The sweetness of beets was beautifully offset by the sharp taste of the spicy and bitter greens. We’re always looking for something new to do with our CSA veggies, and Mike hit it head on with this dish. The only downside was the cleanup afterward, this does use a lot of pans. But the complex flavors makes for a beautiful reward for all the work.

Mike’s Farm Fresh Special
1 bunch white beets + beet greens (you could use red beets if white beets are not available)
1/4 c. milk
approx. 4 oz. fresh chevre or goat cheese
1 clove garlic
1 bunch arugula
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3-4 red potatoes
Olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Wash and clean all vegetables.
2. Slice beets and chop beet greens.
3. Coarsely chop arugula.
4. Wash and slice potatoes into wide strips.
5. In medium sauce pan, heat olive oil.
6 Saute beets and garlic clove until cooked.
7. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
8. Using blender, food processor, or stick blender, puree beets and garlic mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Add milk and goat cheese. Mix to blend. Add additional milk or water to reach desired consistency.
10. Return pan to heat, and add olive oil, if needed.
11. Add potatoes to pan, stirring to coat in oil. Stir every few minutes to prevent sticking.
12. Heat a second sauce pan, and add olive oil, to coat bottom of pan.
13. Add tofu to pan. Stir enough so that tofu doesn’t stick, but not too much or it prevents it from turning beautifully brown. If there is not enough room the tofu will not brown as easily.
14. Heat yet another pan, add olive oil.
15. Saute beet greens and arugula until just cooked, but still crunchy.
16. When tofu is golden, add salt, pepper, parsley and basil.
17. Stir for an additional minute and remove from pan.
18. When potatoes are cooked through, add salt to taste.
19. To assemble dish, place layer of beet puree on the bottom, top puree with generous serving of greens.
20. Top greens with a heaping of tofu. Surround tofu with potatoes.
21. Enjoy with a crisp white wine.