I’ve got the beet! (a recipe you’ll love)
I’ve got the beet! Do you have the beet? If not, I’m sharing a to-die for recipe this week that is far too good to ignore – EVEN IF you haven’t been a beet fan in the past.
Food just doesn’t get any better than the rich, earthy, naturally sweet flavors of fall. This is hands-down my favorite season for playing in the kitchen, and beets top my list of delights.
These robust little buggers make my taste buds do happy gymnastics and make me bust out in song with the Go-Go’s hit, “We’ve Got the Beat!” (MUCH to my husband’s disdain, I must add. Poor guy, but too bad for him; when this girl cooks, she SINGS.)
Some of you know I’m working on a cookbook for the Aslan Institute, the integrative clinic where I have my office. It’s going to be a collection of recipes from all of the amazing practitioners there. Well, this beet recipe is definitely going in that cookbook. It’s tasty and so, so beautiful – it looks like little pieces of crimson stained glass.
One note: while beets taste super sweet to me, every once in a while I run across someone who says beets taste just like dirt. If that’s you, try adding more orange slices and upping the ginger in the recipe. You can even add a teaspoon of allspice to help mask the earthiness and highlight more sweetness.
Beets with Orange Raspberry Vinaigrette
Yield: 6-8 servings
While this dish tastes delicious right away, it actually improves the longer it sits. Don’t hesitate to make this 2-3 days before you plan to serve it, allowing time for the beets to really soak up the orange, raspberry, and ginger flavors.
9-10 medium beets (about the size of golf balls)
2 Tbsp raspberry vinegar
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (or more if you want more zing)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/3 cup red onion, diced small (about 1/2 onion)
zest of 2 large navel oranges
segments of 2 large navel oranges
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If using fresh beets with tops still attached, trim off beet greens and reserve for another dish.
Give beets a quick, gentle scrub to remove any remaining dirt, taking care not to break the skins, then wrap beets in a big bundle of aluminum foil. If you need to do a couple bundles, that’s okay. Place bundle/s in a baking dish and roast in the oven for about 60 minutes.
A quick note: in my experience, roasting beets is a super forgiving process. You can roast them alongside other dishes in the oven at temperatures varying from 325-425 and not really have to worry about them. Small beets may roast in as little as 30 minutes; very large beets may need 75 minutes.
Remove beets from oven when tender. Open aluminum foil and allow to cool for 5 minutes, or until you can easily handle them. Cut a small slice off the very top and bottom of each beet, then slip beet skins off by rubbing them with your fingers. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they come off!
Dice beets into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve cold or at room temperature.
A note about making your orange segments: I’m fussy about oranges and really dislike having any of the white membrane when I’m using orange segments in salads or desserts. It ruins the texture for me and adds a bitterness I don’t care for. So rather than spending tons of time pulling the white membrane off, there’s a really easy technique you can employ that’s clearly explained in this You Tube video. You just need a really sharp knife to do it. Make sure you do this over a mixing bowl, as it will release a lot of wonderful juice you want to capture.
The benefits of beets are too numerous to disregard these jeweled beauties. Seriously. Beets are known as workhorse detoxifiers, they lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and fight against cancer. They also have a ton of fiber, helping us poop regularly. Enjoy!
Love, Claudine
