Beet It

One of the most difficult words to say is the word ‘No’. Coming from a country whose culture is extremely modest and cradled in the lap of politeness, it becomes a convenient barricade to say ‘No’ when certain situations demand it. As kids we were taught to be at our humblest best with polite mannerisms to match, respect was something which was imbibed in our blood and involuntarily showed up when interacting with elders.

Over the years that is from school to college to my work life I was considered to be a ‘Yes’ man. We mature and the people we grow up with mature and our dealings and interactions move away from the comfort zones to zones which are unfamiliar and people who come into our lives professionally, as new friends, associates, colleagues and the likes. To make first impressions it’s nice to be the guy who would bend backwards to adapt situations, to get into the good books one would portray a very positive accommodating trait, the growing up process physically and socially demanded that out of anyone. But there comes a time when if one doesn’t use discretion, one could start flailing themselves and eventually be burdened by those yes’ they have so conveniently committed to.

Cryptic as the message I want to convey sounds, saying ‘No’ is one of the biggest hurdles one has to face in life and one should be able to diplomatically handle this. I have learnt it the hard way – on being constantly pushing myself to accept every order, instruction, request, demand and work sent across to me, I would make it a point to ensure that I followed it diligently with no respite, thereby landing up compromising on the bigger picture, which was my personal space.

Yes, in the long run and in this so-called rat race of a fast paced life, its quite a task to avoid certain conditions which are expected off you but you would realize its true repercussions once you are dealing with family, career, social and personal aspects all together. There will be a time when reality shows up in your face with all four aspects of ‘Life’ demanding a ‘Yes’ at all possible circumstances and you will wish you had more than 24 hours to deal with it.

Putting your foot down is way better than pushing yourself over the brink. I recollect one important turning point in my life. I was a star employee, especially since I would commit myself to the demanding pressures of work at a blink of an eye and without any so called complaints to the way things work in the corporate world. More than vying for attention and appraisal I would embrace the projects coming my way out of pure love for the job on hand and immerse myself right till the very deep end of the project(s). It was exciting, exceptional and quite lucrative to single handedly set the wheels in motion for that task and it became an obsession to do it all by myself. Day and Night became one and the only reason I would come back home was to sleep and possibly eat with zero interaction with the other facets of my life. One fine Sunday I had taken off to watch a movie with a friend, a much needed relaxing break from routine. In the midst of the movie I get a call from work demanding my immediate presence at the workplace. After hearing the reason for this impromptu order, I was a bit taken aback as this ‘urgent’ situation could wait till Monday and there was no need to take things in stride at that very moment. I made it amply clear that I was preoccupied and it would not be possible to travel halfway across the city to ‘attend’ to the so-called crisis that too on immediate basis. Not surprisingly the crisis sorted itself out by the next day and it would have been an unwanted play on my part to be present for it the previous day. Had I to accept the order and make a dash for sorting it out, I would have delved deeper into the ‘taken for granted’ personality and regret it throughout my life.

This took place a long time ago; ever since, I have learnt the art of putting my foot down when certain aspects of my life are compromised and mind you – it helps so don’t hesitate to say beat-it when it’s necessary.

Though this post’s topic is quite an eye opener, we look at the lighter side and carry on to something I never let go off regardless of time, cooking. Cooking is something I would never say ‘No’ to and I leave you with this dish inspired by the headline. This recipe contains a unique combination of the humble beetroot and a simple dressing. Beets provide excellent nutrition for the blood and have a deep rich magenta colour which brings colour to your plate. In India we usually serve the beet, boiled and sliced onto sandwiches or in a salad. This recipe brings out the raw flavors of beet by roasting it raw in an oven (a wood fired oven would do even better) and dousing it with a simple dressing which enhances the roasted flavors. Enjoy this by itself or as a side with a chicken or beef main.

Roasted Beets with Sweet & Sour Purple Basil Dressing

Ingredients

• 5 nos – medium size Beetroots
• 1 tablsp Olive Oil
• 10 strands – Fresh Thyme
• A pinch of salt

For the Dressing

• ½ cup – Purple Basil Leaves (alternatively you may use sweet basil)
• ¼ cup – Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 clove – Garlic
• ¼ cup – Olive Oil
• 1 tablsp – Black Raisins
• Seal Salt & Ground Pepper to Taste

Preheat an oven with rack to 220C

Add the thyme to the olive oil with a pinch of salt and pound with a pestle in circular motions till it resembles a paste. Make a few incisions with a sharp knife on the beetroot and smear the herbed olive oil all over. Arrange in foil lined baking tray and place in the preheated oven on the rack. Roast for 15 – 18 minutes till cooked. Insert a sharp knife through the beets to check on doneness as the cooking time depends on the size.

Once done, cool, peel and chop into 1” chunks and refrigerate.

Blitz all the ingredients of the dressing in a small blender till smooth. Toss over the cool roasted beet chunks and serve chilled garnished with a few purple basil leaves.

No matter what life throws at you, only you are eligible to control it and should.