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January 2004
Beet's Soul Mate
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As much as I love winter comfort food, eventually even I get a craving for some vegetable that isn’t potato. When I am in the mood for a colorful, light dish that uses seasonal ingredients, I make a beet salad. Being Russian, I thought I knew everything there was to know about beets. Beets are used so much in Russian cuisine because they are one of the few vegetables available during the long winter. I have cooked with beets all my life, but never suspected that beet’s true soul mate was an orange. I learned about this unlikely combination from Chef Ruth-Anne Adams, while I worked at Casablanca.
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Beet Salad with Blood Oranges and Blue Cheese
Cooking beets and sectioning oranges can be done a day in advance to make your job easier. Keep cooked beets and cut oranges covered and refrigerated. If you are in a rush, substitute canned beets, and canned orange or tangerine segments. Cooking beets yourself has its merits. The beets and oranges taste better and the beets yield a beautiful ruby stock that can be used for beet risotto.
Serves 4 as a first course
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Ingredients
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Directions
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4 medium beets
1 naval orange
salt to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
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Cook the beets:
Wash the beets, but don’t peel. Put them in a large pot. Cut the orange in half crosswise, and add it to the pot. Fill the pot with cold water, season to taste with salt, stir in olive oil, and add bay leaves. Set over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer partially covered for 1 hour, 20 minutes or until tender when poked with a sharp knife. Remove beets from water and cool. Save cooking liquid for beet risotto if desired. Peel beets by rubbing them with your hands. Cut each beet into 6-8 wedges.
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3 blood oranges
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Zest and Section the blood oranges:
Before sectioning, reserve the zest of 1 orange for the salad dressing. Cut off the top and bottom of the oranges. Set them on a cutting board and cut of the skin and the white pith in strips from top to bottom with a sharp thin knife. Remove the sections using a knife.
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1 Tbsp chardonnay vinegar (or lemon juice)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Zest of 1 orange
1 shallot minced
salt and pepper to taste
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Salad dressing:
Pour oil into vinegar in a slow stream whisking constantly. Stir in the maple syrup, zest, shallot, salt, and pepper.
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Water cress (or mixed greens)
Crumbled Blue Cheese
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Toss beets and oranges with salad dressing, taste and correct seasoning. Arrange water cress or mixed greens on a plate, top with beet salad and sprinkle with blue cheese.
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