Do you know batch cooking ? It’s the principle of preparing all the week’s meals in a single cooking session. Honestly, it’s not my thing, I love to cook, and I don’t mind doing it every day. Chain work actually takes the fun out of cooking. But sometimes I don’t have a choice\u2026 My professional schedule doesn’t necessarily allow me to organize myself differently. And so today it’s batch cooking. On the menu: several vegetables, lentils\/carrots, meatballs kefta style, fish, one pan squash\/carrots and scalloped potatoes. I also have a brioche rising; I have to make bread and think about snacks for my little girl [whose supplies are already down]. So I will do the preparations one after the other, and even at the same time. I choose dishes to cook on the burners and the other part in the oven, so I optimize my time. And what if I could find the time to write you a recipe\u2026 Superwoman I am, aren’t I ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you remember that great cookbook, Falastin from Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, I told you about a few weeks ago? Well, this is where I found that recipe. And what a wonderful recipe it is !<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My hubby loves beets [me too], and that recipe immediately appealed to us, and indeed it’s really good: a little sweet\/salty taste, a greedy puff pastry, and a touch of spice that makes you travel. I am sometimes criticized because of my love of vegetables [unfortunately]. Still, when you eat this pie, you have to admit that vegetables are wonderful and that you don’t always need meat to get a taste. So luckily, some great chefs love vegetables and know how to cook them to give us great recipes like this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recipe is simple: a fast puff pastry, a ricotta filling, a layer of onions and beets [red and golden for the visual if you can find some, but only red ones otherwise]. So it’s easy, yes, but as there are several preparations, it takes a little time. But there are ways to shorten the process, and many preparations can be done in advance [the dough up to 2-3 days before, beets and onions too].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some tips to go faster:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1\/ the dough is prepared following a “quick” puff pastry recipe, so it is actually fast to prepare, but you could buy one if you want to skip that part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2\/ beets: the chef uses raw beets [which must therefore be cooked]. For those in a hurry, you could use already cooked beets [easy to find in any grocery store]. They are originally cooked in the oven, which necessarily takes time [at least 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets]. I bake them in the Instant Pot [it takes about 20 minutes for medium-sized beets]. A pressure cooker will do fine too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3\/ you can prepare your pie in advance; once assembled, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours before cooking [yeaaaah]. Once baked, it is better fresh [but we saved some for the next day and reheated it a bit in the oven it was still delicious].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4\/ Anticipate! Cook the different elements over several days if it is easier for you.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Tarte](\"https:\/\/delamourencocotte.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Tarte-rustique-aux-betteraves-150x150.jpg\")
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