Amazing Beet Salad
This recipe, which is again from Anna Thomas's The New Vegetarian Epicure, is amazing. Not only did it taste great and featured one of my favorite roots, it taught me that the greens can be used to. It is always nice to learn something new. We made it for our little dinner party over the weekend. The recipe below varies from her original only in a slight alteration in instruction. Else, it is verbatim.
Serves 6
2 bunches young Beets* (1 1/2 lbs without tops)
10 clove Garlic
3 cups slices Beet Greens, packed
1 tbs Olive Oil
2 tbs Honey
3 Tbs Raspberry Vinegar**
1 large stalk Celery, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion***
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: 1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese or feta cheese (optional in my opinion)
Cut the greens off the beets, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem, reserve the greens, and scrub the beets well. Arrange the damp beets close together on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and scatter 8 of the garlic, unpeeled, over them. Wrap the beets in the foil, folding over and crimping the edges to make a tight seal. Bake the beets in the foil packet in a 400F oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash the beet greens, discard those that are anyting less than fresh and lovely, and cut off the stems. Slice the greens in 1/2 inch stripes; you should have at least 3 cups firmly packed.
Mince the two remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick saute pan. Add the minced garlic, stir for 1/2 minute, then add the sliced beet greens and a sprinkle of salt. Toss over a medium flame until the greens are completely wilted and sizzling in the pan, about 5 - 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and the raspberry vinegar. Drizzle 2 tbs of this mixture over the beet greens in the warm pan and toss to combine thoroughly.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins and cut them into slices or chunks. Squeeze out the soft garlic, mash it with a fork, and whisk it into the remaining vinegar-honey mixture. Pour this over the beets in a bowl. Add the diced celery, chopped red onion, salt and pepper to taste, and the cooked greens. Mix everything together well.
Serve the salad warm or at room temperature, alone or on a bed of tender young curly endive. If you prefer, garnish each serving with a sprinkle of crumbled cheese.
* If it is available, get a mix of golden beets and red beets. The colors are quite pretty for presentation purposes.
**As I did not have raspberry vinegar in the pantry, and because I didn't care to enlarge my already substantial vinegar collection, I substituted instead just about 1 tbs of raspberry jam mixed with 3 tbs of white wine vinegar
*** We were out of red onion and did without it. It tasted wonderful; though I suspect the dish would be even more delectable with it.
Serves 6
2 bunches young Beets* (1 1/2 lbs without tops)
10 clove Garlic
3 cups slices Beet Greens, packed
1 tbs Olive Oil
2 tbs Honey
3 Tbs Raspberry Vinegar**
1 large stalk Celery, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion***
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: 1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese or feta cheese (optional in my opinion)
Cut the greens off the beets, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem, reserve the greens, and scrub the beets well. Arrange the damp beets close together on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and scatter 8 of the garlic, unpeeled, over them. Wrap the beets in the foil, folding over and crimping the edges to make a tight seal. Bake the beets in the foil packet in a 400F oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash the beet greens, discard those that are anyting less than fresh and lovely, and cut off the stems. Slice the greens in 1/2 inch stripes; you should have at least 3 cups firmly packed.
Mince the two remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick saute pan. Add the minced garlic, stir for 1/2 minute, then add the sliced beet greens and a sprinkle of salt. Toss over a medium flame until the greens are completely wilted and sizzling in the pan, about 5 - 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and the raspberry vinegar. Drizzle 2 tbs of this mixture over the beet greens in the warm pan and toss to combine thoroughly.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins and cut them into slices or chunks. Squeeze out the soft garlic, mash it with a fork, and whisk it into the remaining vinegar-honey mixture. Pour this over the beets in a bowl. Add the diced celery, chopped red onion, salt and pepper to taste, and the cooked greens. Mix everything together well.
Serve the salad warm or at room temperature, alone or on a bed of tender young curly endive. If you prefer, garnish each serving with a sprinkle of crumbled cheese.
* If it is available, get a mix of golden beets and red beets. The colors are quite pretty for presentation purposes.
**As I did not have raspberry vinegar in the pantry, and because I didn't care to enlarge my already substantial vinegar collection, I substituted instead just about 1 tbs of raspberry jam mixed with 3 tbs of white wine vinegar
*** We were out of red onion and did without it. It tasted wonderful; though I suspect the dish would be even more delectable with it.
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