BS: Recipes - what are we eating?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 10:53 AM

Thompson, from its other recipes, I gather that The Scots Kitchen considers vague grittiness to be a feature, not a bug. Its recipe for haggis is fit to fright the French, containing as it does items that are not legal for sale in Ontario.

I have come down with bronchitis and, if it goes the way it usually does, I will lose all olfactory function within the next 24 to 48 hours. During the taste-free days, I will live on tea and toast.

Now that we live in beautiful, leafy Stratford, Ontario, we are within shouting distance of a genuine grist mill that still produces whole-meal flour. Our bread game, always of a high standard, has consequently gone up yet another notch. I make a 100%-whole-wheat sandwich loaf that is, if not to die for, certainly something to live on. Made with flour from the Arva mill, it has a nutty flavour and a firm (but not stodgy) texture that is delicious when fresh and just magnificent as toast. I got great results with standard commercial flour (Robin Hood "Best For Bread"), but the stone-ground flour is notably better.

If I bake today, while still compos mentis, I might survive to next week ...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 06:14 AM

Charmion, I tried that whiskey-honey-cream-oatmeal thing with pinhead oatmeal one time but found it vaguely gritty. I just use the ordinary oatmeal you make porridge with.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 09 Dec 18 - 09:14 AM

I’ve just been looking at an earlier comment about keeping metal utensils away from cookware.

I admit to damaging one stainless steel pan with a potato masher but I guess I accepted I was going to do that and I don’t use that one for things that stick. I’ve tried with the others but, eg. with last set of visiting family, I did a sort of “self service” from the pans. I put a couple of plastic ones out but they were swapped for metal ones, etc. and Pip is the type who can grab the nearest object to hand even if that means a metal knife vs a non stick frying pan (which now is the only thing I have that is non stick coated).

Anyway, she’s asked me to replace some wooden tools for her Christmas present from me (likely to be more used by me but if that’s what she wants I don’t argue) so I’ve bought a set of wooden handled ones with silicon tools and a couple of silicon desert spoons. I’m not sure whether that will help lead to more care but time will tell.

Favourite pan (if a less dedicated type is allowed to have such things) btw is a 16cm Vogue Tri wall (aluminium sandwiched between stainless steel) one which I use for gravy and sauces. It seems to heat more evenly that the Judge ones and less likely to stick (not that I’ve had major problems cleaning the others). I didn’t get a lid (metal and sold separately) for this one but retained a glass lid from an older discarded saucepan that is a good fit if needed.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 08:50 PM

I've been on my own today and have got pissed off with one thing and another, so I did meself a trough of comfort food tonight which I scoffed out of a huge bowl in front of a repeat of Chas & Dave's Christmas special on the telly.

You need a fairly small roasting tin or Pyrex dish if it's just for one. Oil it well.

Boil about 350g waxy potatoes, unpeeled, for about twenty minutes.

Meanwhile, take about 75g pancetta or streaky bacon (unsmoked for me, but hey) and cut the rashers into inch-long pieces. Grate about 50g Parmesan. Take about 150g of a melting cheese. Gruyere, fontina, mozzarella or taleggio will all fit the bill, though, as I didn't have any of those, I used provolone dolce. Cut the cheese into small slices.

Drain the spuds, let them cool slightly then slice them up. Put the spuds into the bottom of your oiled roasting dish. Insert the pieces of cheese and bacon roughly into the spud layer. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan, making sure that there's a bit left to go on top. Finally, sprinkle a hood dollop of olive oil on top.

Bake for about 30 minutes at about 180C.

I ate mine with some peas as I needed the vitamins. Lovely it was.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Joe_F
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 06:05 PM

Tonight it will be lamburger, Sicilian spinach, rutabaga, tea, & icecream.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 04:58 PM

I have dried ghost pepper. Anyone ever use it?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 12:13 PM

I agree about the salmon, and keta is lower in those omega-3 oils as well. I didn't have enough sockeye. But actually keta is fine in the arrabbiata, I promise you, and it's much cheaper this end. When I have sockeye I want it nicely seasoned and fried in butter, skin side down to start with, with home-made oven chips (parboiled unpeeled wedges, roughed up, coated in groundnut oil and roasted for 20 minutes in a fierce oven), tenderstem broccoli and some oven-roasted cherry tomatoes with basil.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 11:01 AM

I've tried 2 meals in the multi cooker so far, both slow cook.

The first, a sort of red lentil, chick pea and carrot stew came out well. The recipe I based it on called for pasta at a later stage but, not having any, I tipped some arborio rice in and gave the mix about a 15 minute quick cook on "stew" instead. It was popular enough to be asked to do it again.

I started an attempt at a spicy/curry veg meal in the early hours of this morning (couldn't sleep). I've got this one quite wrong. The veg (potato, carrots, parsnip and sprouts) have cooked OK but I've wound up with way too much, rather insipid liquid. I knew there would be no evaporation but the veg themselves seem to have added somewhat to the liquid. I think I'm going to have to try to rescue this one using a pan on the cooker and aim to be wiser next time.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 10:34 AM

"Keta" is also called "dog salmon" up in the Northwest and Alaska. Go with the sockeye, or go home. It doesn't have nearly as much flavor or color. It's okay if you don't have anything else, but if you have a choice, go with sockeye.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 10:24 AM

I think I’ll be helping to make a nut roast early next week. My parents had decided on stuffed butternut squash halves from Tesco for the main part of their Christmas dinner. There were a lot of problems with the Tesco Christmas order which also included a bit of turkey for me. It started with the butternut squash item being “unavailable” on the first day Tesco opened their Christmas area and after the order finally got placed, it got wiped by a regular grocery order and all the Christmas delivery booking slots had gone for another attempt at ordering.

Anyway, after some debate, we decided to go for something home made instead and have opted to try this nut loaf which I think looks good. The deal is that I will get all the ingredients prepared and laid out. Pip will then take over. The plan is to freeze until Christmas eve/day.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 07:53 PM

Dammit, I should have said that you need around four tablespoons of olive oil. Also, you can use diced chicken breast instead of salmon, though you do need to stir-fry it for a minute or two before adding to the sauce. Not hard, though, is it!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 07:47 PM

We've had salmon arrabbiata tonight. I basically follow Gino d'Acampo's recipe but not slavishly.

For two people you need some fresh keta or sockeye salmon, not tinned, about 300g. Take off the skin (easiest when the salmon is half-thawed). Cut the fish into 1cm dice.

Put your pasta on to boil in salted water. I use pennone rigate for this. I'm not too keen on those little penne tubes but suit yourself.

In the meantime sautée gently two sliced cloves of garlic (do NOT crush) and your own personal predilection of dried chilli flakes in a pan of extra virgin olive oil. The dish is supposed to be pretty spicy so don't hang back too much. After a few minutes add at least one can of plum tomatoes. Only the best will do. I usually add a few more plus a goodly dollop of sun dried tomato paste. At the same time add a good handful of chopped fresh parsley and some seasoning. Let that lot simmer uncovered for a few minutes (or you can make the sauce in advance, which is what I did tonight).

Two minutes before the pasta is ready, turn the heat up a tad under the sauce and throw in the salmon, heat it through for a minute or two then turn off the heat. Have faith, the fish is perfectly cooked. Drain the pasta (keeping a cupful of the water) and toss into the sauce. Mix well, adding a bit of pasta water if needed, and serve. No Parmesan on fish (a mortal sin in Italy). A goodly drizzle of your finest extra virgin olive oil on top is paramount, as it is on most pasta dishes and pizzas. This dish is so quick and easy, and it couldn't be healthier. And it's utterly delicious.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 06:21 PM

"I don't recall that they sold food, though"

What, not even haggis?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 05:57 PM

There used to be a retail shop north of Harvard Square,
in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
called "Atholl Brose."
It stocked everything Scottish
and provided access to a tailor
who could custom-fit you for a kilt.

They had a shelf of books, some written in Scots,
like "The Shriek of the Maws."

I don't recall that they sold food, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 10:46 AM

Richard Wade
known to his friends as Dick Wad has been named Ass. Deputy to Facebook public relations to change minds instead of changing Facebook.


Some recipes will always taste bad no matter what you think about them.
Like Sticky Bitter Bottom Buns, changing the name won't help until you change the recipe.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 09:40 AM

Okay, BobL, point taken. You can't expect good results if you don't use good ingredients.

That said, I still insist that fruitcake (any old fruitcake) is a suitable destination for Red Label Johnny Walker.

Thompson, I believe the dessert you describe is Atholl Brose. I have an elderly cookbook called "The Scots Kitchen"; its version of the recipe calls for the finely ground oatmeal that I know as "pinhead" oats. Is that what you mean by porridge oats?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 02:31 AM

Charmion, any old rum will do for any old fruitcake.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 09:47 AM

A nice alcoholic dessert is made by soaking porridge oats in whiskey and honey then whipping in cream just before serving it. Don't give the driver any.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 10:31 AM

By the time it's in a fruitcake, any old rum'll do, BobL.

A nice but misguided person once gave me a bottle of Red Label Johnny Walker. The stuff is undrinkable, but it was boffo in fruitcake.

I agree with you on the subject of Southern Comfort in a fruit salad, but we don't eat fruit salad often enough to justify the purchase of an entire bottle of Southern Comfort. I have no experience of Archer's peach schnapps, which may not be available in Ontario.

Tonight's supper will be my sister-in-law's vegetarian lasagne. Himself came home with rather a lot of striploin steak the other day (bin-end sale at the butcher, I gather), so a veg-heavy dish feels like a good idea. It's remarkably like a normal lasagne, but with no meat in the sauce; you could feed it to your lacto-ovo vegetarian teenager without incident. It has three kinds of cheese, though, so the calorie count is not inconsiderable.

And it makes six servings, so that's dinner tonight and two days' worth of lunch.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 02:43 AM

Sailor Jerry rum in my cookbook.

While we're on the subject, a good addition to fruit salad is a 50:50 mix of Archer's peach schnapps and Southern Comfort. Just enough to moisten, not marinade!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 06:55 PM

Grand Marine' or Drambuie is my choice.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 09:03 AM

Yes, fruitcake. I'm a week late starting ours, but I'll get going this afternoon. It's a two-day process in which the fruit macerates overnight in brandy (or other hooch) and the juice of two lemons and two oranges.

I don't ice it: that's not the Canadian style. (Fruitcake is the only thing that's naked at Christmas in Ontario.) Also, the fondant-marzipan icing is very fiddly to make and apply, not to mention expensive (the price of almond paste these days!), and it doesn't travel well, especially in the mail.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 08:31 AM

Tried the beets under the chicken with vegetables recipe. The carrots and all were good but beets are still to 'earthy' for me.

The leftover red sauce may be a good violin stain with varnish but may not be color fast.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 03 Dec 18 - 04:55 AM

Christmas cake is traditionally made on the last Sunday in November to give it several weeks to mature. Every member of the household has a turn stirring the mixture and making a wish.
I used to ice the cake with a vaguely flat covering of white icing, a small model fir tree, and footsteps in the 'snow' made with a silver charm of a boot. (Must do it again sometime.)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 03 Dec 18 - 03:28 AM

In my day a Christmas cake was iced with about a centimetre thick layer of marzipan, covered by hard white sugar icing, decorated like a Roman temple. Not so much nowadays when we’re all influenced by German and Polish customs.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 03 Dec 18 - 03:14 AM

a "normal" cake would be stale after a week

A sponge cake might be stale after a week, but a fruit cake improves with a bit of keeping. Especially if fed with small doses of liquor at weekly intervals.

And yes, a "Christmas cake" is essentially a rich fruit cake, decorated appropriately.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 03:03 PM

Tattie Bogle, the simple use of two cocktail stick through the chicken and black pudding may help to keep everything in place.








.............. or you could fall back on the Glasgow trick and dip it in batter and deep fry ..............





I'll get me coat

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 10:51 AM

A nice flying haggis last night: aka chicken Balmoral. Basically a chicken breast casserole but topped with slices of haggis and some whisky or Drambuie in the sauce. You can try wrapping the chicken breasts around the haggis,but it always worms its way out!
And save your best single malt for drinking: any old blend will do in the sauce - well almost!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 10:35 AM

Mustang jelly
You better slow that mustang down

Christmas cake has fruit, nuts, eggs, flour, sugar, spices and lots of alcohol. When my father made it the whole house reeked of whiskey from October to January.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 10:28 AM

So you really don't need someone to fix it because it gives you a chance to admire the sauce. :)

This "christmas cake" creature - is this what we Yanks call "fruit cake?" A very large cake that lasts as long as it seems to need to last, when a "normal" cake would be stale after a week, must be a different kind of baked good.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 08:33 AM

I got the accent on "ragù" the wrong way round. I knew something wasn't right. The actual ragù is very fine, however.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 07:20 AM

I know I'm late doing this but this morning has seen the Christmas cake being mixed and it's now in the oven for over 4 hours.

It weights in excess of 5lb so we will have a fair bit to go at over the festive season!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Dec 18 - 07:14 AM

Ox-cheek ragú last night, a la Jamie Oliver-ish (I'm no slave to recipes). Very cheap, tough, sinewy meat in great big hunks, braised for four hours in red wine, passata and porcini water with onions, carrots, celery, garlic (bashed, never abused by a garlic crusher) a few strips of smoked pancetta and a big bunch of fresh herbs (and a pinch or two of spices). It makes enough sauce both to use as gravy with mashed potato and veg and the chunks of ludicrously-tender meat (that's tonight) and for a goodly portion to stir into fettuccine with some of the diced beef, topped with freshly grated Parmesan and a dash of the best extra virgin olive oil (that was last night). Cucina povera!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 18 - 12:28 PM

You are more than welcome to come for a visit - the guest room is (remarkably!) clear. The rest of the house, not so much. But when one has grown children who might stop by and you want them to stay for a little while if they can, the guest room is ready.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Dec 18 - 12:06 PM

At last, a second good reason to visit Texas. I'd love to try your mustang grape jelly.

Himself and I are going out for dinner tonight, to the Stratford Chef School, where the students are staging "Escoffier at the Ritz". It's an eight-course (!) extravaganza in the Belle Époque style, definitely not the sort of thing we could get at home.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 18 - 11:54 AM

No, and they aren't the same as muscadine, either, though I've heard of them in the region.

http://palatepress.com/2010/06/wine/wine-indigenous-american-grape-varieties-a-primer/

Of the six native species that had been growing in North America long before European settlers arrived, some may sound more familiar than others: rotundifolia (muscadine), aestivalis (summer grape), riparia (frost grape), labrusca (fox grape), mustangensis (Mustang grape), and rupestris (sand grape). Over the last hundred years some interest has been given to this rowdy and uncouth bunch of American species. While these grapes are not as widely cultivated or commercialized as vinifera varieties, they do show potential for making enjoyable wines and deserve to be recognized.

The author of the article later dismisses our little Texas grape:

Vitis mustangensis has little to no redeeming commercial qualities. Limited in habitat to Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of Louisiana the mustang grape is highly acidic and bitter in taste. Simply handling the grapes can irritate the skin.

The bit about irritating the skin is true. The first time I picked them it was with bare hands and my hands really smarted after a while. I wear vinyl gloves when I work with them now. The remarkable thing about these grapes with their big seeds and thick tough skins is that they still manage to produce a wonderful rich dark pink/red juice and it's perfect for a sweet/tart jelly. If you've ever tasted tamarind or tamarindo, they are sweet and tart in the same way.

I like the jelly on toast, on baking powder biscuits, and I often will heat some in a small custard cup in the microwave and use it as syrup over pancakes. I think you could use it in place of cranberry sauce in a pinch.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 01 Dec 18 - 04:54 AM

Are mustang grapes the same as scuppernong, which I’ve read about but never seen?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 10:38 PM

Thai chili sauce disappeared with nary a twinge of the taste buds. We generally limit our salt intake because of my sensitivity to it. If there is some salt in a spice I will chance it but go easy.
If we can taste salt as saltiness it is definitely too much.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 08:17 AM

I do like a can-do bloke, pfr...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 07:37 AM

Steve - I'm not a dunker..

but guess a solution could be a tightly held sandwich of TWO chocolate digestives
with twice as much cheese in the middle...

chocolate facing inwards...???

I'm not a coffee drinker.. but that might dunk quite nicely in white coffe with a mountain of sugar stirred in...???


[remembering a once a week grammer school dinner from the early 70s..
pudding was coffee, loads of sugar, cheddar chunks, and an apple..]

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 07:16 AM

not that I'll be eating them, Fun and festival treats or even making them, but they look good & someone might like to add them to their recipe library

sandra (not a sweet tooth)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 06:31 AM

I'm just wondering how you can dunk a choccie biscuit with a slab of cheese on top...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 06:30 AM

If food is too bland it could be that you're either leaving out something vital or you're using lesser-quality ingredients. The latter is why shop ready-meals are so high in salt. I always think that there's a "right" amount of salt for any recipe. To cure blandness, my first resort is fresh herbs and/or a tiny splash of Tabasco, maybe a bit more black pepper, depending. The Italians do it right when they start a ragu or a soup with a soffritto made with chopped onions, carrots and celery sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil. For a meat sauce, I add a bit of chopped-up pancetta to that for richness and savour. My chili meat sauce and bolognese always start like that. I find that slow-cooked meat dishes such as ragus and pot roasts are the very devil to judge for salt while you're actually cooking them, and they always taste different once they've stood for a few hours. Start low with your salt. You can always up it later on.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 06:23 AM

Chocolate digestive bisuits topped with slices of mature chedar cheese...

and a mug of strong black tea [leave the teabag in]...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Nov 18 - 11:14 PM

Unfortunately we have no Mustang Grapes in these parts.
As for wild Tarts, I don't know.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 29 Nov 18 - 09:19 PM

Unless I want edema, I avoid salt.
This morning, we had home made latkes [potato pancakes] with peach compote[also homemade].

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 04:12 PM

Sometimes when food is just too bland, what it needs as well as other flavours is a little salt.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 03:42 PM

Aaah, back to the beets. I used to strongly dislike beet foods until I got together with Lady Hillary. She has made a convert of me. She cuts the beets up fine, then boils them and adds a few spices, finishing up with an immersion blender. We make the batch large enough to store in a couple of quart size Chinese Tupperware containers. We generally serve it cold with home made yogurt instead of sour cream [shades of my grandmother].

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving I made up a batch of leek and potato soup. The problem I had with it was that it resisted taste. No matter what spices I added to it [again, the batch size gave us three quarts for the fridge] it was determinedly bland. Hot sauce, curry, chili sauce no effect.

For Thanksgiving Lady Hillary made up a butternut squash soup that, for its final heating got some ginger and garlic [both fresh]. Delightful.

This weekend we had sweet potato fries at a barbecue restaurant. It came with a dusting of brown sugar that was very good. There was something in the taste which suggested that a bit of finely chopped ginger would go well with it. That will get a try in the next few days.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 01:34 PM

I have shifted over the years to giving as many consumable gifts as possible, made at home. This year I've canned both pickled okra and mustang grape jelly and last night I made seven small loaves of banana nut bread that are now wrapped and in the freezer.

I recently send my son and my sister pickled okra, but neither is sure they'll like it, so my advice has been to wait until they have guests over to open the jar. Try it themselves and see if they like it. If not, chances are someone at the gathering will know what it is and like it and they can send the rest home with them. It keeps in the fridge for a long time so they can try that trick at parties all through the holiday season until it's eaten or given away.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 01:19 PM

I love white sourdough bread, but my digestion does not. If I'm going to eat bread more than occasionally, it really has to be whole-grain. A batch of brown is under construction as I type.

Beetroot is great stuff. I like to include it in a batch of roasted veg, with Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, celery root and parsnips, flavoured with shallots, garlic and thyme. The carrots and beets usually have to be parboiled, but it's a small nuisance. Around here, we can get beets in every hue produced by beta-carotene, from pale yellow to darkest crimson. Golden beets are just as delicious as the red kind, but don't result in pink pee.

Just sayin'.