Beets With Mint And Yogurt Recipes

BEETS WITH MINT AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Peel the beet and grate it coarsely.
• Put the yogurt in a bowl and beat it lightly with a fork or a whisk until it is smooth and creamy. Add the salt, pepper to taste, and cayenne, if using. Mix. Add the mint and beet. Mix gently.
• Put the oil and garlic in a small frying pan and set over medium-high heat. The garlic will eventually begin to sizzle. Press down on the garlic with a spatula and let it sizzle some more, turning the pieces once or twice, until they turn a medium brown. Now pour the flavored oil and garlic into the bowl with the yogurt and mix.

ROASTED BEETS WITH YOGURT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place red beets in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon coarse salt, 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Wrap red beets in parchment paper-lined aluminum foil and set aside; repeat process in a clean bowl, first with golden beets, then with candy cane beets.
• Place wrapped beets on a baking sheet and transfer to oven; roast until beets are easily pierced with the tip of a small knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove skins by rubbing each type of beet with a paper towel.
• Cut beets into halves or quarters and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, remaining 2 tablespoons coarse salt, and pepper; toss to combine.
• Spoon yogurt into the bottom of a large shallow serving bowl; top with an even layer of beets. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar; garnish with chervil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve.

GOLDEN BEET AND BEET-GREENS SALAD WITH YOGURT, MINT AND DILL

Steps:

• Roast the beets: Put them in a baking dish in one layer (if some beets are larger, halve them so they will cook evenly). Add about 2 inches water to the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for at least an hour, or up to one and a half hours, until fork tender. Remove the foil, pour off the liquid and let cool for a few minutes, then peel while still slightly warm. Cut into wedges and set aside.
• Cut beet greens into 1-inch ribbons, then wash well 3 times in abundant cold water to remove any sand or grit. Bring a large pot salted water to boil. Add the greens and cook briefly till wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool under running water, then squeeze out excess water.
• In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant and just lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice mill.
• Make the vinaigrette: Put the onion, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes or so, then whisk in the remaining ingredients.
• Make the yogurt sauce: Put the yogurt in small bowl. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin-coriander mixture, mint and olive oil.
• Season the beet wedges lightly with salt and dress with half the vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, lightly salt the greens and dress with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange dressed beets and greens on a platter and top with a little smear of the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with dill, and pass the rest of the yogurt sauce at the table.

ROASTED BEETS WITH YOGURT, PISTACHIOS AND CORIANDER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the beets, halve them, then cut each half into 4 wedges. Toss the beets with 2 tablespoons oil and the ground coriander on a rimmed baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper and spread out in an even layer. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until almost fully tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium, shaking the skillet, until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Season the yogurt with salt and pepper and spread it on a platter. Add the remaining olive oil and the balsamic to the roasted beets and toss to coat; season. Arrange the beets and their juices over the yogurt. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and toasted coriander seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CARAMELIZED BEETS WITH ORANGE-SAFFRON YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400. Put the beets into a high-sided baking pan, so that they fit together relatively snugly. Cut off the top of the head of garlic and place it, cut side up, in one corner of the pan. Mix together 1 cup oil and the butter and drizzle it over the beets and garlic. Cover the tray tightly with aluminum foil and roast for approximately 1 hour, or until the beets are soft when pierced with a knife and the garlic is soft and caramelized.
• Remove the beets and garlic from the oven and allow to sit until the beets are cool enough to handle, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Lift them out of the oil, peel and discard the skin and place them in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil from the baking pan. Mix well and set aside.
• Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skin and into a small bowl. Roughly mash with the back of a fork before adding the yogurt, saffron threads and water, the lemon juice, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Stir well and place in the refrigerator until needed.
• Place a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When it shimmers, add the almonds and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring and tossing frequently, until they begin to turn golden. Add the red pepper flakes and the orange juice and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated, approximately 30 seconds. Spoon the nuts onto a wide plate and set aside to cool.
• When you are ready to serve, spoon the yogurt onto a large serving plate and spread it out slightly. Top with the beets, making sure that you can still see yogurt at the edges. Sprinkle the almonds over the top, then the basil, and serve.

BEETS WITH YOGURT

Steps:

• Cut the stems and leaves about 3/4 of an inch above the beets. To boil them, cook them in plenty of boiling salted water until tender-small ones will take about 30 minutes, larger ones about 1 1/2 hours. To roast them, put them on a sheet of foil on a baking sheet, cover them with foil, and roast in the oven at 400°F for 2 to 3 hours, depending on their size, until one feels tender when you cut right through with a pointed knife. You could cut them in half (lay them cut side down) and reduce the cooking time considerably.
• When cool enough to handle, peel and cut the beets into less than 1/2-inch-thick rounds or half-moon slices. Wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands.
• Beat the crushed garlic, if using, into the yogurt and spread the mixture on a serving plate. Arrange the beet slices on top. Beat the lemon juice with the oil and a little salt, stir in the chopped mint or parsley, and spoon over the beet slices.
• A Lebanese version uses 1 1/2 tablespoons tahina (see page 7) beaten into the yogurt. This, too, is delicious.