Weeknight Shortcuts

As much as I like to try my hand at making things from scratch (see goat cheese and breadmaking as examples), sometimes a shortcut (or two) is in order. Tonight, for instance, I decided to give a new recipe for Pasta with Baby Beets, Mint, and Feta a try. The original recipe called for sautéing the garlic with olive oil and red pepper flakes before adding it to the cooked pasta. I decided to skip this step (and save Jason from having to clean a second pan) and just add it to the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients. In addition, instead of dealing with the hassle of peeling and cooking a bunch of beets, I decided to take advantage of the refrigerated pre-packaged (and already cooked and peeled) beets my grocery offers in the produce section. Now I know taking advantage of such “convenience items” can get expensive which is why I usually limit their usage. But every once in awhile I think it’s perfectly acceptable to cut yourself a little slack both in and out of the kitchen.  Life is short, avoid the stress where you can!

Whether you take advantage of the shortcuts or not, this recipe is worth a try. I will be honest, though, I was not a huge fan of the mint. I like mint well enough but after a few bites the interesting mint-beet-feta flavor combo got old and I wished the mint wasn't so quite so front and center. Next time I think I would cut back on the mint (or get rid of it entirely) and add in some other sort of herb—parsley, maybe. Or even basil.  But the rest of the ingredients—feta, beets, lemony vinaigrette—were great and well worth trying out.

Pasta with Baby Beets, Mint, and Feta
Adapted from The Jewels of NY

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 TBL shallot, minced
Zest of one lemon
1 bunch baby beets, peeled or you can also use prepackaged refrigerated beets like I did
8 ounces of pasta, I used mini fussili
1/3 cup of fresh mint, roughly chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

1.If you are going to cook the beets yourself, cook beets in a pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool and then dice up. If you are taking a shortcut, like I did, you can skip the cooking and just diced up the precooked beets.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
3.Meanwhile combine olive oil, lemon juice, zest, mustard, garlic, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4.Add diced beets, mint, hazelnuts, and feta to pasta. (Note: if you decide to take my shortcut method and used pre-cooked beets, pour the hot pasta on top of the beets in the bowl in order to warm them up a little before adding all the other ingredients). Drizzle with vinaigrette. Toss and serve.