4 medium red beets
4 garlic cloves
2 TBL olive oil
Thyme sprigs, a few
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans (see note)
1 TBL red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
3 TBL creme fraiche
1 lb linguine
¼ to ⅓ lb feta cheese
⅓ cup walnuts
parsley or dill
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Scrub well
- 4 medium red beets
and cut them into wedges. Place the beets and
- 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
in a roasting tray and toss them with a little olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and some fresh thyme leaves. Roast 30-40 minutes, until beginning to caramelize.
Take out of the oven, trim any tough, darker bits from the beets. Put in a food processor. Squeeze the garlic from the skins into the food processor too. Add
- 2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, drained (see note re dried beans)
- 1 TBL red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 3 TBL creme fraiche
and pulse, adding water by the tablespoonful as needed until you have a smooth paste. You’ll probably need +/- ½ cup of water.
Cook the linguine & drain it. While the linguine is cooking, toast
- ⅓ cup walnuts
in a toaster oven or skillet. Crumble
- ¼ – ⅓ lb feta cheese
Return the drained pasta to the still-warm pot and stir in the beet sauce.
Serve topped with toasted walnuts, a little crumbled feta and chopped parsley or dill.
Note: ¾ cup of dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender (about 25-60 minutes, depending on how old the beans are) will yield about 3 cups, the equivalent of 2 cans of beans.