Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook!
Today, I’m finishing up my salute to beets, at least for now 🙂 Beets are one of Mother Nature’s best ideas–both delicious and good for you. An unsung hero that is both under-appreciated and almost always a bridesmaid. The recipe I’m sharing today, for roasted beets with cinnamon sticks and fennel would serve as a great, complete side dish to any earthy meat, or it could also stand on its own, served over a pile of warm, creamy polenta as a main vegetarian dish.
Roasted Beets with Cinnamon Sticks and Fennel Seeds:
This recipe ups your roasted beet game a good bit by incorporating the earthy, warm, woodsy and sweet fragrance and flavor of cinnamon and the herbaceous, licorice flavors and smells of fennel. As the beets roast, they take on some of the characteristics of the cinnamon and fennel, while still allowing the beets to shine as the star instead of an attendant. Don’t be temped to simply sprinkle ground cinnamon onto the beets or you’ll find that the beet’s tiara has fallen off and given way to the much more assertive flavors of cinnamon and you’ll be able to taste nothing else.
Serve with any earthy protein, such as roast chicken, lamb chops or seared salmon. And enjoy with a glass of nice Zinfandel, which pairs beautifully with the cinnamon-infused flavors of the beets.
Tune in starting tomorrow when I will start a series of posts celebrating spring entertaining!
Until then,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
