Beets

• allspice
• anchovies
• apples
• bacon
• béchamel sauce
• brown sugar
• butter
• cheese
• chives
• cloves
• cream
• créme fraiche
• cucumber
• curry
• dill
• eggs, hard-cooked
• fennel
• ginger
• horseradish
• lemon
• mâche
• mustard
• nutmeg
• onions
• oranges
• paprika
• parsley
• potatoes
• prosciutto
• salt
• salt pork
• shallots
• smoked fish, especially trout or whitefish
• sour cream
• tarragon
• vinaigrette
• vinegar, especially balsamic, sherry and white wine
• walnuts
• walnut oil
• watercress
• bake
• boil
• steam

We were not the first to do a beet risotto, but I think the risotto we serve is exciting. We use organic beets from a farm, which were picked that morning. The color is the most intense fuschia, a vibrant purple-red. I used to hate beets, but I’m mad about beets right now. I love the richness and deepness of their flavor—it’s like an explosion. —Lydia Shire