I try my darndest to support local and sustainable farming practices. This is something of a new industry here in Thailand, although I guess you could say it is really an old industry coming back around, since until a few decades ago all farming here was both local and sustainable. The seed and fertilizer companies gained significant influence, like they have elsewhere, creating a dependence on the part of farmers that is just now starting to be broken.
When I’m at my local market, I make it a point to look for specials and seasonal items. We don’t really have as distinct growing seasons here as you do in more temperate climes, though. This week, though, there was a special on beet roots. Buy one pack, get one free. Local, organic, free! What more do I need to be told?
I walked home with six packages of beets (yeah, all pre-wrapped in plastic trays and plastic wrap… what can you do?) – about fifteen beets, each about the size of a small orange.
Not knowing what to do with the beets, I decided a good first step would be to roast them. This took a bit more than an hour but afterwards, I was rewarded with some beautiful and tasty roots.
Looking at some recipes online, I decided I would make a beet root pizza for dinner last night and then use the rest of the beets for a borscht (beet root soup) later in the week. The pizza was more of an idea rather than a specific recipe, a little bit of a walk on the culinary tightrope.
First step – some pizza dough (always have some homemade half-whole wheat dough in the freezer) covered with homemade hummus (I keep portions of cooked chickpeas in the freezer, too) as a base. In retrospect, the hummus, while tasty, wasn’t the right choice. Something acidic was needed to brighten the flavors and a tomato sauce or a tangy squash sauce would have been a better fit.
Some onions, which I had baked at the same time as the beets with a little bit of balsamic vinegar. These would have been more lovely had I spent a few hours making truly caramelized onions.
Sliced beets on top. I also boiled some eggs and was going to add these, but then forgot to take the container out of the refrigerator so they are still sitting in there this morning!
A little bit of chèvre – goat cheese – sliced on top. One recipe I read also used a little bit of mozzarella cheese, which would have been nice. This pizza was a tad… fat-less. Does that make sense? Sometimes you need a little fat to make the flavors rounder and fuller.
Just out of the oven – it looks quite nice but it isn’t a balanced meal yet.
Topped with some organic, locally-grown rocket (arugula) – now it is finished. You can tell it is organic because of all the little bug bites on the leaves. At least they left some for me.
At the same time, I’m playing around with a new master bread recipe, an olive oil dough that has about 1/3 whole wheat flour.
As you can see, it rises nice and with a dusting of flour and a truly sharp knife, it looks pretty. (I just realized, as I searched for an entry about going to a local market to get my knives sharpened, that I haven’t written that entry yet!)
Even more so once it comes out of the oven. This was tasty bread, but it is a quicker dough than the “no knead” recipes I’ve been using, and as such the interior has a very uniform crumb, almost like sandwich bread. I kind of prefer to have some larger bubbles and spongier texture.
christao408 
the healthy, organic pizza looks interesting, and I agree wth you a little bit of fat can really enhance the taste…..
Wow, that bread is gorgeous. How was it?
These look like the beets that we are used to here in the US…is that right?? I am pretty boring with mine…I either like em pickled…or quarter them, cook them in a little water….then after they are nice and soft…drain em and add a touch of butter and salt and pepper. I may have to go get some beets to cook soon!!!!! So…what was the final grade on the beet pizza??Ruth Ann
A good organic bread sells for about $6.50 to $7.00 in one of the stores near my place. Your bread looks pretty good.I’ve never had beets in a pizza before – that almost looks like a pizza salad.
Beetroot pizza?! That’s innovative!
I love beets, they taste so earthy, reminds me of Puer teaYou sure are a diligent blogger as of late Not that I am complaining
@agmhkg – Fat = flavor@Wangium – I’ve been trying to keep up as there has been a lot going on lately. There are actually about four stories sitting off to the side that I have in reserve, things that aren’t time-specific that I’m saving for a rainy day – which here in Thailand means every day from May until October.@Dezinerdreams – Thank you. Someone else on the internet had something similar first, so I can’t claim all the credit. I just remember that pizza with potatoes on it is common in Italy.@ElusiveWords – Pizza salad was exactly the concept I was going for. You mean I could get 200 baht for a loaf of my bread? Hmmm… hatching a business plan.@Redlegsix – Exact same beets, or at least mighty similar. Although you folks in the US can find those golden beets, which are really pretty and don’t stain your hands and cutting board. The final grade on the pizza? A “B”… tasty and healthy but lacking a ceratin something. Next time a more acidic sauce, more thorough seasoning of the individual ingredients, and a little more cheese.@TheCheshireGrins – Tasty but not as airy (“sourdoughy”) as I like. The interior looked like a loaf of sandwich bread.
I’m pretty adventurous with most food but beet pizza? I want a photo of you with the red teeth. I’m sure you two looked like vampires run amok after the first bite… Interesting but not something I’d want to serve guests (though #1son and his Zombie vs. Human friends might really enjoy this…).
@murisopsis – Hmm… didn’t have that many problems with staining. Maybe most of the juice soaked into the crust?
A recipe for you.Oil and 1Tbsp of butterSliced onions half cup,paste of ginger and garlic 1TbspGround beef or lamb 1 lbchili powder 1tspturmeric 1tspsalt 3/4 tspthin slicees of beet root in small pieces, 1 cupshredded coconut 2-Tbspsour cream 1 Tbsp.Heat oil, and butter, and saute onions till golden brown, add ginger/garlic paste and fry till fragrant.add meat and brown very well. There will be some liquid from the meat, so try and dry that a little.add the chili powder, turmeric and the salt and continue to let it cook for about five mins.Add the sliced beetroot pieces and cover the dish for five mins, stirrring every so often.check to see if the beet root is tender and can be easily cut with a fork ( not mushy )Now add the coconut and the sour cream. Garnish with mint and cilantro.
Chris this dish can be eaten with rice or with naan or flattened breads ( unleavened ). I think you may like it. VERY HEALTHY too.
that looks fantastic!
@ZSA_MD – Thank you! Does it have the name? And the beet root is not pre-cooked before it is added to the dish, right?
@christao408 – right, you need to add raw beet root. The whole dish turns the color of the beet root. It really tastes good. There is no specific name for it, we just called it Kheema/Shulghum ( ground meat/beetroot.)
I don’t know if you’ve tried the fruit yet, but if you haven’t you should really try Mangosteen. I’m sure you have since you’ve been in Thailand. That’s my favorite fruit, I first tried it in Laos..I’m sad because here in America they do not have any. How long are you in Thailand for? My parents are going back this Mid-June, I would love to go back 🙂
Delicious! I never thought of putting beets on a pizza before but that is such a great idea!
@Superpowersequals_superME – I live here, actually. Have been here almost four years. The mangosteen I’ve had here are okay, but I don’t find them quite as good as people rave about. The mangoes, on the other hand, are amazing.@brooklyn2028 – It isn’t an original idea, I’m afraid, but I’m glad you though it was a great one!