Beets, beets, beets! They may be hearty and great in fall vegetable roasts, but nothing is more beautiful than the vibrant red and yellow colors from beets in spring and summer. So, I thought I'd share a few other ways you can use beets or their juices to jazz up your dishes. Firstly, the best part about beets is how easy it is to roast them whole. Rub them in a little olive oil, wrap them in foil and place them in a nice hot oven for about an hour. They'll get nice and soft and the skin will peel right off. Once quartered, they are a gorgeous deep red, soft and sweet. YUM.

At Bocca Di Bacco, we slice these beauties and make a Beet and Goat Cheese salad. Place the rounds on the plate, top with sauteed green beens or greens of your choice. Place a nice round of herbed, creamy goat cheese and whisk up a simple sherry vinaigrette to give it that crisp finishing touch. SO good!

Now, when it comes to the juices, don't toss it! If you are a fan of making homemade pasta dough, you can use the juice or a couple tablespoons of beet puree to add to the liquid in your recipe. This can turn ravioli into a beautiful magenta color and you can stuff it with a ricotta or goat cheese filling. It looks so impressive and really is easy to do. Options are endless in this department. You can make linguine, spaghetti etc.

If you don't make pasta dough, here's a great example of what a few dashes of that bright red juice will do! Just add this when tossing your al dente pasta and serve and there you go! Bright, vibrant, exciting pasta!

I hope these Beet tips inspire you to play around with this ingredient. Nothing is more beautiful in summer time than a bright salad or dish to put pep in your step. Let me know what you think!

-Chef K