Golden Beet and Hazelnut Salad

photo by Karen Mordechai

Our last beet recipe in this series is a grated beet and hazelnut salad. We love the simplicity of this recipe and found the fusion of the sweet golden beets and hazelnuts is quite perfect, the tartness of some fresh lemon juice makes all the difference. We used toasted hazelnuts as well as this wonderful roasted hazelnut oil, by la tourangelle which you can find at kalyustan's or online here .
enjoy.


4 small or 2 medium golden beets grated
3 tbsp Hazelnut oil
¼ cup Toasted hazelnuts roughly chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp Garlic Chives chopped
Salt + pepper to taste

Add lemon juice to the grated beets immediately to preserve color. Toss beets with hazelnut oil, hazelnuts, and chives. We added some of both nuts and garlic chives to top, and the salt and peppered to taste. Serves 2.

Beet Sandwich with Ricotta Salata + Orange Vinaigrette

This simple sandwich or crostini is a unique spin on the traditional bruschetta. A perfect lunch or serve it as an appetizer at a cocktail party.

Recipe :: Beet Sandwich

4 medium red beets
2 medium golden beets
4-6 slices of thick toast (we used French whole wheat)
Thin shavings of ricotta salata
Juice of ½ orange
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Tsp chopped shallot
Salt + pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil beets until fork tender. Peel skin (loosened from boil) off the beets and cut in a medium dice. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients: juice, vinegar, oil, shallot, salt + pepper. Toss beets in vinaigrette. Arrange on toasted bread (we toasted our in a grill pan with a little brush of olive oil). Serves four to six.

Beet Greens Soup

This soup tastes and smells like comfort. It is a touch tart from the lemon and tomatoes, but all the ingredients meld to create a perfect stew. Growing up my mother would make this for us on a friday afternoon. Traditionally it is served with kubeh ( meat filled semolina dumblings) but since I was a vegetarian for most of my youth, I would serve up a big bowl of the soup - and skip the kubeh. Making the soup on it's own is a great way to use the leftover beet greens and is so so easy to make. happy cooking and let us know if you try it !

Recipe :: Beet Greens Soup

1 yellow onion chopped
Greens of 5 beets roughly chopped including stems
1 cup Crushed tomatoes
2 peeled chopped beets
4 cups Chicken stock
½ lemon
Salt + pepper

Soak greens for a long time, and rinse very thoroughly in a strainer and pat dry. Sauté onion in a bit of oil until soft and translucent. Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow the soup to cook down, approximately an hour or when beets are fork tender.

Beet Carpaccio with Goat Cheese + Mint

photography + styling by karen mordechai

This starter couldn’t be more simple to prepare or more vibrant in color. We used a mandolin for very thin slices, and we also found that the longer you allow the beets to sit in the vinegar and oil, the softer and more enjoyable they are, so perhaps prepare this a bit ahead of time.

Recipe :: Beet Carpaccio

3 small red beets sliced thin with a mandolin
2 small golden beets sliced thin with a mandolin
1/8 – ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
2-3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint
2 ½ tbsp White wine vinegar
¼ cup Olive oil
Coarse sea salt

Toss beets with vinegar and olive oil. Arrange slices on serving platter and crumble goat cheese over top. Sprinkle fresh mint and sea salt on, and serve ! This recipe serves 2 to 4 as a starter.

A Beet Story, Part 1

photography + styling by karen mordechai

Beets, whether roasted or boiled, pickled or grated raw, add a distinctively sugary shock of color to any meal. We've also discovered that they are a wonderful main ingredient, this week we will be presenting a series of beets recipes created at the Sunday Suppers kitchen. We stretched a bit beyond the (overplayed) pairing of beets and goat cheese to discover a few new flavor combinations. Some great pairings include: mint, feta, hazelnuts, orange, ricotta salata and even tomato. So stay tuned this week for some mouth watering beet treats ! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

More About Beets :
This multifaceted root ranges in color from familiar crimson to light gold and creamy white; for a real beauty, try the Italian Chioggia beet, which reveals its pink and white stripes when sliced.

Health Benefits:
Beets are a good source of folate. Deep red varieties are also rich in anthocyanins, which may reduce cancer risk. And the greens, often (mistakenly) discarded—are rich in calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and iron.

Selecting, Preparing, and Storing:
Look for beets with smooth, unwrinkled skin and a firm, hard feel. When choosing beets, bigger is not always better. Select the tiny "babies" or the smaller adult variety when you can; anything over two inches or so in diameter can have an unpleasantly woody texture. Buy beet bunches with the green tops still attached: They should appear bright and not wilted. Remove greens from beets and store separately in plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to one week. The greens can be steamed or sauteed in a similar fashion to swiss chard.

To maximize nutrition, flavor and color, cook beets with their skin on. Remove tops and the long bottom root to within 1/2 inch of the beet "globe." Wash carefully and steam in a covered pot, or wrap in foil and bake at 350° F, for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on size. Try to choose beets of approximately the same size to keep cooking times even. When they're easily pierced with a fork, they're done.

Let them cool a bit, and use a paper towel to help you slide the skins off (and to prevent your hands from getting stained red).