I love beets. It took me about 28 years to figure this out and then a couple years ago I was reintroduced. Oh how quickly I realized how foolish I’d been. So earthy and sweet, you can eat them with just about anything! So when last week I picked up my farm share and saw three beautiful magenta beets, my mind immediately began spinning around all my options. This is where it landed:

Beet and Cashew “goat cheese” Pizza
makes one large pizza

Cashew Cheese
note: a three-day process, plan ahead but don’t be scared!
3/4 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp salt


Pizza
1 pizza dough, homemade or store bought
olive oil
1 medium leek, sliced
1/2 batch of cashew cheese
3 beets, including stems
freshly ground pepper
 
The Cashew Cheese:
Soak cashews in water over night. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a food processor blend together all the cheese ingredients until very smooth. Scoop onto a doubled-up cheese cloth, shape into an oval, securing the ends of the cheesecloth by twisting them tight, and set inside a large strainer or colander placed over a bowl. Allow to sit at room temperature over night.

The next day reshape cheese into a long, skinny log. Re-cover with the cheese cloth and bake at 200 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until outside has formed a slight crust. Turn oven off and allow cheese to sit in oven for an additional hour. Remove and place in refrigerator to chill.

The Pizza:
First a word on pizza dough. Pizza used to be much rarer in my house. I know, very sad, right? I don’t like store bought pre-made, pre-baked crust and I don’t make time to make my own crust. Then I discovered fresh pizza dough. The dough is made and refrigerated which slows down the yeast, stopping it from over-proofing the dough without killing it all together. Then you can go home, let it finish rising and take control from there. So maybe y’all know about this fantastic pizza dough solution, but if any of you are late to the game like me, try it! You should be able find fresh pizza dough in the refrigerated section of a well-stocked grocery or health food store.

Alright back to the pizza. Prepare your dough (varies depending on the route you take). Brush with olive oil and set aside. Next we are going to roast the beets. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and peel the beets. Thinly slice them and toss in small bowl with about a tbsp of olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, until fragrant and tender. Meanwhile wash and chop the leafy greens of the beets and the leek.

When everything is ready assemble pizza.
Beets
Leeks
Cheese (teaspoon-sized crumbles)
Beet greens
Freshly ground pepper.

Pop it in the oven about 15 minutes, until crust is golden.
That might have seemed a bit laborious but if you have the cheese made in advance the rest of it goes very quickly. And it’s worth it!

What is your favorite thing to make with beets? Were there any vegetables you disliked in childhood that you later discovered to be AWESOME?

Check back in tomorrow to discover what I did with the rest of my farm share!