Pureed Beets with Yogurt and Za'atar

I love beets, but my better half isn't the biggest fan, so I'm constantly trying to find new ways to present them in a form that's a bit more palatable. This beautiful dip paired with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and green onions fit the bill. The savoury toppings and herbs offset the sweetness of the beets. The chiles also give it just the slightest hint of heat.

One year ago: Butternut Squash Pie
Two years ago: Pad Thai
Three years ago: Spinach Quiche

Pureed Beets with Yogurt and Za'atar (from Jerusalem)

Ingredients
900g medium beets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp date syrup or maple syrup
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp za'atar
salt
Garnish
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp (15g) hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
60g goat's milk cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash beets and place in roasting pan. Roast uncovered 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 6 pieces each. Allow to cool.
3. Place beets, garlic, chile and yogurt in a food processor or blender and blend to smooth paste.
4. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl in stir in syrup, olive oil, za'atar, and 1 tsp salt.
5. Spread mixture on flat serving plate. Scatter green onions, hazelnuts, and cheese on top. Drizzle with oil and serve at room temperature.

Roasted Red and Golden Beets

This is a beautiful salad and a great mix of flavours. For the leaves, he gives three choices. I'd recommend going with a green with a bit of bitterness to serve as a nice contrast to the sweeter beets and maple syrup. If you don't have chervil, parsley will also work nicely in this dish.

One year ago: Paneer
Two years ago: Linguine with Roasted Tomatoes and Almond Pesto
Three years ago: Easy Buttermilk Cake

Roasted Red and Golden Beets (from Ottolenghi)

Ingredients
500g golden beets (I just used all red)
500g red beets
80g sunflower seeds
90ml maple syrup
4 tbsp sherry vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
20g chervil leaves
60g baby arugula, chard, or spinach

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wash beets and wrap in foil. Bake in oven until tender, 40 - 90 minutes.
2. Spread sunflower seeds out in an ovenproof dish and toast alongside the beets for 8 minutes.
3. Once they have cooled some, unwrap beets and peel. Cut into quarters (or smaller pieces if your beets are large).
4. Mix beets with rest of ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as needed.

Cecina with Beets and Almond Sauce

The wonderful thing about having a CSA box is the exposure you get to vegetables you wouldn't normally buy. Of course, some people might be a little less thrilled about the many pounds of beets received, but I love them. In an effort to keep harmony over the beets, I've looked for many different ways to cook them. This one was a great success for balancing the sweet earthiness of the beets with salty meat and almonds. The two sauces add a bit to the work, but it's worth it.

Cecina is salted, smoked beef that is air-cured for a year. I couldn't find any, so I took the authors' suggestion of substituting bresaola, an Italian meat.

One year ago: Classic Key Lime Pie
Two years ago: Berry Pie Muffins (I still love these)

Cecina with Beets and Almond Sauce (from Moro)

Ingredients
500g beets
200g cecina or bresaola, thinly sliced
Sherry Vinegar Dressing
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
squeeze lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Almond and Sherry Vinegar Sauce
150g whole blanched almonds
8 - 10 tbsp water
25g stale white bread, soaked in water
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 tsp sherry vinegar

1. Wash beets, place in saucepan filled with cold salted water, and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender. Drain and when cool, rub off skin, and cut into 1" cubes.
2. Make dressing: Crush garlic with salt to form smooth paste. Add vinegar and lemon juice and whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Make sauce: In a food processor, grind almonds. Add 3 tbsp water and process to form a paste. Squeeze bread of excess water and add along with garlic to almonds. Grind until smooth. Add rest of water and oil and mix until thick but smooth. Transfer to bowl and season with vinegar and salt to taste.
4. Toss beets with dressing. Lay cecina on top with almond sauce on the side.

Beet Tzatziki

This tzatziki is shockingly magenta to the point of looking artificial; however, the taste is excellent. It pairs wonderfully with the lamb souvlaki.

One year ago: Butter Chicken

Beet Tzatziki (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
1/2 tsp salt
1 large garlic clove
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 large beet, cooked, peeled, and very finely chopped or shredded
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1. Spread salt on a chopping board and finely chop garlic on top of salt.
2. Place yogurt in medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Add beet, garlic, salt, and dill and mix well.
4. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Lime and honey beet salad

I didn't chill this quite as long as recommended but it still worked.

One year ago: Pasta with Lemon and Olive Oil

Lime and honey beet salad (from Around My French Table)

Ingredients
2 tsp cider vinegar
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp honey
2 - 3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp minced dill
2 tsp minced chives
450g cooked beets, peeled

1. Whisk together vinegar, lime, and honey. Whisk in 2 tsp oil. Add dill and chives and season with s & p.
2. Cut beets into wedges, add to bowl, and toss. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Beets and Turnips in Sweet Caper Butter

I may be cheating by using March's cookbook of the month a couple of weeks early, but what a delicious way to use up some beets and turnips!

Beets and Turnips in Sweet Caper Butter (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
2 bunches beets (680g), tops removed
4 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4" wedges
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (I used fennel fronds)
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

1. Rinse beets, place in saucepan, and add water. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce to simmer until tender, 35 - 50 minutes. Drain, let cool, peel, and cut into 1/4" wedges.
2. Meanwhile, bring another pot of water to boil, add turnips, and simmer until tender, 5 minutes. Drain.
3. Place butter, sugar, capers, and dill in clean pot over medium-high heat. When butter foams, add beets and turnips, stir to coat, and reheat for 2 minutes.
4. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Chunky Beets with Cheese and Arugula

I love the dressing on this salad. It works wonderfully with the beets, arugula, and cheese. Instead of sherry vinegar, I used some wine vinegar with raspberries that I picked up in Prague. The slight hint of raspberries made the sauce even better. The book gives too options for the salad: one with crumbled Roquefort (I used Ciel de Charlevoix) and one with goat cheese and thinly sliced, iced red onions. I think I slightly prefer the blue cheese, but they're both excellent. Next time, I might try her suggestion of tossing with halved grape or cherry tomatoes.

Chunky Beets with Cheese and Arugula (from Around My French Table)

Ingredients
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or wine with raspberries!)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
450g cooked beets, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tsp minced fresh oregano, marjoram, thyme, or parsley
crumbled goat cheese or Roquefort
arugula

1. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Toss cubed beets with dressing and chill for about an hour.
3. Place arugula on serving dishes. Top with beets. Top with crumbled cheese.

Beetroot, Orange, and Black Olive Salad

A couple of weeks ago, I tried making an orange, olive, and red onion salad and it was a miserable failure. The onions overwhelmed everything and it just didn't meld. Based on that experience, I was slightly hesitant to give this one a try, but it was definitely worth the gamble. The beet seems to pull together the other flavours and it worked so much better. The original calls for boiling the beets for 1 - 2 hours. I roasted them. Go with whatever method you prefer!

Beetroot, Orange, and Black Olive Salad (from Plenty)

Ingredients
400g beets
2 sweet oranges (I used navel)
1 red endive
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped parsley
40g black olives, pitted and halved
3 tbsp rapeseed oil (I used olive)
1 tsp orange blossom water
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Cook beets. Peel, cut in half, and cut into wedges that are 1cm thick at base. Put in mixing bowl.
2. Trim off tops and bases of oranges. Remove skins and pith. Slice into segments and place with the beets, discarding any membrane.
3. Cut endive vertically into 2cm thick slices. Separate leaves and add to salad.
4. Add remaining ingredients and toss.

Roasted Beets with Cumin-Mint Vinaigrette

I told myself that I wasn't going to buy any more cookbooks until the New Year. I gave my mother a list of the cookbooks I've been coveting as gift ideas and then attempted to forget about all the books I've seen and wanted. Then, I needed just $7 for free shipping on Amazon so I could continue reading the Song of Ice and Fire series. Amazon was also only too happy to inform me that a new book was out that I might be interested in. And was I interested? Oh, yes. I jumped on the book sight unseen as I've greatly enjoyed another book by the same author. It's somewhat ironic that my first recipe from this book isn't meat based, but it was delicious!

I didn't have a full pound of beets for the recipe, so I substituted in with 1/2 beets and 1/2 celeriac. I'm not sure I would mix the two again, but I think both of the vegetables worked amazingly well with the vinaigrette. I also wasn't sure how much I would like the combination of cumin and mint, but I have to admit, it's excellent. One recipe down ... quite a few more to go!

One year ago: Mashed Brussels Sprouts
Two years ago: Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin

Roasted Beets with Cumin-Mint Vinaigrette (from All About Roasting)

Ingredients
450g beets, scrubbed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground pepper
vinaigrette
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel beets and cut into 3/4" cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on baking sheet.
3. Roast in oven until tender, about 40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine lemon juice and cumin. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil and stir in mint.
5. Pour vinaigrette over cooked beets and serve.

Chipped Beets and Beet Greens

Another week and more beets! These were yellow beets with some beautiful greens attached, so this recipe seemed only too appropriate. I took some suggestions from chowhound and doubled the garlic, orange juice, and vinegar (while omitting the extra water). The final result was quite flavourful and paired nicely with some slightly sweet Asian flavoured chicken.

One year ago: Cappucinno Fudge Cheesecake (why am I contemplating making this again?)
Two years ago: Chocolate Layer Cake

Chipped Beets and Beet Greens (adapted from Radically Simple)

Ingredients
1 large bunch beets (leafy greens plus 1 pound medium beets)
4 large garlic cloves
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 ounces feta

1. Wash beets and greens. Cut stems and leaves into 1/2" pieces. Peel beets and cut into quarters.
2. Pulse beets and garlic in a food processor until coarsely ground.
3. In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add chipped beets and cook 5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add stems and greens and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Add orange juice and vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes, then cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or until greens are tender.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to platter and crumble feta on top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp oil

Stewed Beets with Ginger

I was a bit surprised to see a beets recipe in my Indian cookbook, so I knew I had to try it when we received more beets in the CSA box. The curry cooks up to be a beautiful colour and the flavours work surprisingly well, although I used the 2 chiles I had on hand (1 jalapeno and 1 yellow mystery chile that was quite hot) and wished that it was a little less spicy for a side dish. The recipe also uses the whole beet, but sadly I didn't have greens with mine. It's fine if you don't, but I'd imagine it would be even better with the greens.

Two years ago: Aunt Mary's Craisin Blue Cheese Salad

Ingredients
450g beets, with or without their green tops
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
6 to 8 medium fresh curry leaves
2 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (with seeds, see notes above)
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
3 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (2" long, 1" wide, 1/8" thick), cut into matchstick-then strips

1. Separate greens from beet bulbs. Rise greens under water and shake off excess. Slice into thin shreds, including the stalks. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Trim off and discard both ends of each beet bulb. Peel and rinse under running water. Cut into 1" cubes.
3. Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds, cover and cook until seeds have stopped popping, about 30 seconds.
4. Add beets, curry leaves, and chiles. Stir-fry to coat beets with mustard seeds, about 1 - 2 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook stirring occasionally, 10 - 15 minutes.
6. Add beet greens, salt, ginger, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally until beets have absorbed most of the liquid and are tender, 25 - 30 minutes.

Beets with Balsamic Syrup, Mint, and Nuts

Finally, the CSA gave us beets that were not actually black radishes in disguise! I took the opportunity to make a salad that I had seen before and wanted to try. As it happened, we also had a surplus of mint in the CSA box, so it worked out perfectly. The original recipe calls for canned beets, but I roasted mine along with the pork by putting the beets in a foil packet and drizzling on a bit of olive oil and roasting until tender. The original calls for walnuts, but we had hazelnuts on hand, so I used those instead. It also suggests adding goat cheese (I think feta would also be wonderful), but we didn't have any, so I skipped it. Perhaps because of the lack of cheese, it seemed like there was a bit too much mint. I quite liked the salad though. A scaled and adapted version for 2 people is below.

One year ago: Cranberry, Caramel, and Almond Tart

Beets with Balsamic Syrup, Mints, and Nuts (adapted from Radically Simple)

Ingredients
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 medium garlic clove
450g roasted beets
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

1. Lightly toast hazelnuts in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Put vinegar in the skillet; add garlic clove pushed through the press.
3. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced to 1 1/2 tbsp.
4. Cut beets in half (or quarter if they are large) and put in a large bowl.
5. Add vinegar and hazelnuts. Toss oil with beets.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with mint.