Get it? It’s like red beans and rice, but funnier. And also, without the beans.
This month’s challenge was a bit of a doozy: Create a dish with the core four ingredients of red onion, red beets, basmati rice and spinach. This felt more random and challenging than usual. However, as soon as I realized Valentine’s Day was coming, I quickly got excited. Beets! Love! Beets exude a ruby red glow to whatever they’re paired with. So why not just go with it, because it’s Valentine’s Day? This would make a lovely side dish with roasted chicken or, if you double the ingredients across the board, a vegetarian main.
Grating the beet right at the end imparts the red hue to the rice, but you could certainly roast or boil it if you like, and dice it. Grating raw beets is an easy way to add them to a multitude of dishes, whether it’s a green salad or your morning smoothie. I added some rosemary because it pairs well with the earthiness of beets; if my plant in my yard wasn’t covered in snow right now, I’d be using a tablespoon of fresh herb, that’s for sure. I kind of have a thing for rosemary.
- 2 T butter or coconut oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary
- 2 cups stock or water
- 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
- 1 small beet, grated
- Freshly ground salt and cracked pepper to taste
- Rinse the rice well under cold water.
- Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in a large, shallow saucepan.
- Add the onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes until softened.
- Add the rice and rosemary and stir until the rice and rosemary have been coated with the cooking fat. Add the stock or water, cover the pot and turn the heat down.
- Simmer the rice for about 15 minutes.
- When the rice is about ready, turn off the heat, stir in the chopped baby spinach and
- grate what ought to be a well-scrubbed raw beet, right into the pot.
- Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, and serve.
