Here’s a Valentine’s Day recipe to try, if you dare. I made it the other night for fun and out of desperation, not having gotten to the store yet for supplies–but Kim and Aidan had been to the Enlow’s (formerly organic) farm. (Mississippi changed it’s regulations on how to be organically certified, so our only local grower who was certified, can now no longer afford to maintain it, even though he hasn’t changed his practices.)
Ingredients:
canola oil or other stir-fry oil
2 small red beets and tops
1 large carrot (or 2 smaller ones)
a few leaves of kale
tofu
one small onion
garlic
ginger
1 tbs sugar
curry, garam massala
soy sauce and lemon juice
siracha sauce
soba noodles (Japanese buckwheat noodles)
Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in a wok, then add sugar, carrots, and beets, cut into small pieces. Saute a few minutes, then add spices, tofu, lemon juice and soy sauce. Add beet tops and kale. Add other vegetables, if you wish. Add siracha sauce to taste (it’s hot).
Meanwhile, start water to boil and cook soba noodles according to directions. When finished, serve with stir-fry over noodles. Due to the beets, everything will be a deep red color, except the kale and beet tops, which remain green. Since I only used a couple relatively small beets, the beet taste wasn’t too strong. The ginger and curry spiced it up a little. Siracha sauce added to the heat (though cayenne or other hot pepper would do as well).
We enjoyed it, though it was definitely a unique experience. The flavors were good, and the red/pink color of the dish was a little much, which is why I suggest it for Valentine’s Day.
Kendall Dunkelberg 