LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2020

Add a punch of colour to all kinds of dishes. The variety of beets in season right now dazzles with flavour and looks.

By VICTORIA WALSH | PHOTOGRAPHY BY rob fiocca

Just the sight of a beet bunch reminds you of how they grow. You can picture tugging a big beautiful bunch of these colourful orbs by their emerald, red-veined leaves straight from the ground. They’re the embodiment of earthy flavour (in a good way) that’s perfectly contrasted by their pleasing sweetness. Simply boiling beets and serving them along with their tops—shredded and sautéed with butter and garnished with a bit of lemon and salt—is so satisfying. That said, they also have much more to offer. Try kneading and shaping them into homemade gnocchi, roasting them with chicken (so the juices of both ingredients meld together), thinly slicing and wrapping them in foil as you would for hasselback potatoes. Enjoy them freshly grated for a slaw-topped vegetarian burger or even folded into cheesecake-topped brownies.

One-pan sumac‑roasted chicken with colourful beets Recipe on page 136

WHAT TO SERVE

Pinot Noir at its best! Sweet cherry and earth tones echo the beet and sumac flavours while the fine tannins and acidity cleanse the palate. Bouchard Père & Fils Pinot Noir Bourgogne LCBO 605667, $23.00

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FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2020