Baked Beet with Pistachio Butter

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I always thought beets tasted like baby corn. I've been telling people for years that beets tasted like baby corn. People just rolled their eyes at me like I was crazy. It turns out, I was wrong. Fresh beets taste nothing like baby corn. The only reason that I thought so was because I've only had canned beets in the past. After cooking fresh beets today, I understand why I've only had canned beets before. First of all, my hands and kitchen counter top are purple. Let's not even mention the wooden spoon I used. Second, they took about an hour and half to bake and peel. Well, I'm glad that I went through all that trouble, because fresh beets taste like nothing else.

• 3 large beets, washed
• 1 cup of pistachios, shelled
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Wash beets and cover them with aluminum foil. Bake in 400 degree oven for 1 hour until the beets are tender in the middle. After they are cool enough to handle, peel and cut them into small pieces. Set aside. Cook pistachios, garlic, salt and pepper in 1/4 cup of canola oil for about 3 minutes. After the oil cools a bit, transfer everything to a food processor and puree until the mixture becomes chunky butter. Add more oil if necessary.

The recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. The pistachio butter adds a nutty and crunchy contrast to the sweetness of the beets. But the beets are so good by themselves that I think the pistachio butter is redundant here. Oh well. I can think of plenty of other ways to enjoy pistachio butter.