Beet and Rainbow Chard Pasta

Who doesn’t love a good farmer’s market? We have one that opens up a couple of times a week in the early summer to early fall. It is great! They have a variety of veggies, fruits, breads, honey, etc. Every Sat. morning and Tuesday evening I look forward to seeing what yummy things the farmers have grown. There is this one lady that I always go to. She even remembers me and gives me a few things for free. Last year, she would throw in a couple extra red potatoes, a bulb of garlic, or some other fresh home grown goodness. This Sat. she gave me some extra peas and a wilting head of lettuce =) It was still tasty as a fresh salad with tomatoes and homemade honey mustard dressing for a side. I always go through the market first. I see what each vendor has. Then I go back through again and buy some of my faves. I went back to my lady and bought beets, rainbow chard, and green pod peas. Can’t wait until next week!

p.s This was a mommy meal. My husband was at hockey and the girls gobbled up Sloppy Joes, peas (that they helped shell), and some cheesy pasta.

Beet and Rainbow Chard Pasta

Ingredients
3 beets- bulb and greens- I had 1 white and 2 zebra striped (red and white mixed)
bunch of rainbow chard (or regular chard would be fine)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 servings of angel hair (leftover from last night’s scallop dish)
olive oil
Salt and pepper
a dash of red pepper flakes for a kick

Directions

Wash your beets and greens VERY thoroughly! The first time I made some greens from my farmer’s market I ended up tasting more dirt than expected. A little dirt won’t hurt you, but it does take away from the deliciousness of the dish. The farm to table movement should include less of the dirt from the farm. =)

Take the bulbs of beets and put lots of olive oil, salt, and pepper on them. Wrap them in aluminum foil and cook until tender at 500. It takes a good 30 minutes, maybe more.

Separate the leaves of the beets greens and red stalk. DON’T throw them away! They are delicious!!!
Separate the leaves of the rainbow chard form the stalk. Cut up the stalks of the chard.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive in a large pot- I used my dutch oven
Add half of the green leaves. Cook them down for a few minutes. Add the rest. Add salt and pepper. Mix and cook until wilted. Take them out and add your chopped stalks. Put in a bit more oil and salt and pepper. Mix and cover. I cooked it down for about 15 minutes.

During this time, your beets should be almost done. When they are, carefully peel them and slice them in thin pieces. stack them up and slice them again.

I had some leftover pasta from last night, so I mixed it with all the greens. I added a tad bit more olive oil, lemon juice, and mixed well. Then I added my sliced beets on top! Add some parmesan cheese and a glass of Rose! Perfection!