IN SEASON
WINTER WONDERS Golden beets are a variety of the beetroot family which taste no different to red beets, but to me have one distinct advantage – they don’t turn everything you put them with pink! Their vibrant yellow colour stands out on a plate, and their ability to absorb pickling solutions and therefore add acidity to a dish makes them a nice addition to salads with soft cheeses and nuts. Beets in general are good for digestion and considered to be blood purifying. Beets can be roasted, boiled, steamed, pickled or eaten raw. Their leaves and stems can also be eaten in much the same way that you would prepare silverbeet or chard. Lately I’ve taken to roasting small ones whole on a bed of rock salt, or large ones wrapped in a salt dough crust.
GOLDEN BEETS
Golden Beets go with: beef, lamb and chicken, soft cheeses, salad leaves, nuts, vinegar, spices, onions and garlic, fish, potatoes, horseradish, bread
Radicchio, or Italian Chicory, is a bitter endive with bright red leaves and white veins. Grilling or braising the leaves will often soften its bitterness, although I tend to use it fresh in salads where I want a balance with sweeter ingredients. Mixing radicchio with other endives, such as witlof and frisee, creates a striking colour and texture contrast. There are many different varieties of radicchio, but in Australia the most common are the Chioggia, a tight, round, bright red head the size of a large grapefruit; or the Treviso, which looks like a large red version of witlof. I like to serve it with sweeter meats such as duck and pork. Radicchio goes with: duck, pork, risotto, beets, citrus, vinegars, cured meats, cheeses, fennel, tomatoes
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RADICCHIO