Grilled Beets with Goat's Cheese and Walnuts

[cbayer]

Beets are in season and I just picked up a bunch at the local, very tiny, farmer's marker. This is a dish that I first had in New Orleans at a wonderful little restaurant called Lilette. I don't have everything called for in this recipe, but I am going to get as close as a can. This is an incredibly good dish, particularly if you are a beet lover like me!

Ingredients
6 large whole beets
Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon dry oregano
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Vinaigrette:
1 1/4 cups walnuts
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 ounces red wine vinegar
2 ounces pomace olive oil
1-ounce walnut oil
1/2 pound soft goat cheese
1/4 cup chives (cut into match sticks)
Directions
Preheat a grill.

Cover beets by 3 inches with cold water in a large saucepot. Bring the water to boil and simmer until paring knife slides out of beet when pricked. Strain and let cool. While running under water, rub beets with towel to remove skin. Slice beets into 1/2-inch rounds. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and add vegetable oil. Toss sliced beets and hold.

To prepare the walnuts, melt butter in a 10-inch skillet and add walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve left over butter.

For the vinaigrette add all the ingredients and the walnut butter. Whisk well.

To finish, grill beets on both sides for 2 minutes and toss in vinaigrette. Place 4 to 6 slices of beets on each plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 5 dollops of goat's cheese (1 to 2 ounces) per serving, sprinkled with walnuts and chives.

[The empressof all]

1. Oh Yum...

There's a restaurant near me that makes a beet custard with goat cheese appetizer. The last time I went they were sold out of it early. It's sweet and savory and creamy and Amazing. I keep thinking I should try to make it...It's really just a simple egg custard with a blend of beets, onions and I think rosemary.

[cbayer]

2. Let me know if you get the recipe for it. I am going to buy beets every week while

they have them, and I would love to try some different recipes.

Honestly, I can just eat them boiled. That earthy taste and perfect texture just slay me!

:hi:

[grasswire]

3. a restaurant near me...

...makes a simple delicious salad of chopped roasted beets, crumbled blue cheese and toasted chopped hazlenuts on greens with a simple vinaigrette. It's so good.

[cbayer]

4. There is something about that combo - beets, cheese and nuts.

I just boiled up the beets and can hardly wait until this is ready to eat!

:hi:

[cbayer]

5. This came out great!

The beets were super sweet. I took them off the grill, dunked them in the vinaigrette and put the cheese on while they were still warm.

Perfect!

Does anyone have a good borscht recipe?

[pleah]

6. I haven't tried this recipe, yet. Hot Russian Borscht.

I just got this book, Sheila Lukins All Around the World Cookbook, at a yard sale last weekend.

Hot Russian Borscht

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
1 onion, peel left on and halved
2 ribs celery with leaves, halved
1 carrot, quartered
1 parsnip, quartered
4 fresh dill sprigs
4 cups defatted Rich Beef Broth
4 cups water
1 1/4 pounds raw beets with stems
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 pound) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups thinly slivered green cabbage
4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill leaves and stems
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup sour cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the beef, onion, celery carrot parsnip, and dill sprigs in a large soup pot. Add
the broth and water. Bring slowly to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer covered until beef is very tender, about 1 1/2
hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Remove the short ribs and set aside to cool.

While the brothe is cooking, rinse the beets well and trim the stems to 1 inch. Wrap individually in aluminum foil and
bake until tender, 1 hour, more or less, depending on the size of the beets. Wearing thin rubber gloves to prevent staining, slip the skins off the beets and coarsely grate. Set aside.

Strain the broth, cool slightly, and skim off any fat that rises to the top. Return the defatted broth to a clean soup pot. Shred the meat from the bones, descarding the bones and any fat: set aside.

Add the sweet potatoes to the broth. Partially cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the cabbage and cook, partially covered, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the meat, beets, lemon juice to taste, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Simmer another 5 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the dill, parsley, and garlic and simmer for 1 minute. Serve pipping hot, garnished with a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 8

[csziggy]

7. A recipe for Maple-Teriyaki Beets I may try tomorrow

I'm getting my first batch of veggies from a CSA organic farmer and there may be some beets in the order. If so I will try this recipe since I have all the ingredients:

Maple-Teriyaki Beets

12 small or 6 medium beets, scrubbed and trimmed
1/4 butter (or olive oil)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced or pressed garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1. Preheat over to 400F degrees.
2. Place beets in a small roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake until beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size.
3. Preheat the broiler.
4. Allow beets to cool slightly, then run under cold water and slip off their skins. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds.
5. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce or tamari. When the ingredients are thoroughly combined, remove from heat.
6. Put the beets in a shallow baking pan and pour the maple syrup mixture over them. Broil, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

From http://www.care2.com/greenliving/maple-teriyaki-beets.html

[cbayer]

8. This sounds delicious and I am going to try it if they have beets at the market

this week. Let me know how yours turns out.

I don't see any advantage to initially baking, as opposed to boiling, the beets. Can you?

:hi:

[csziggy]

9. Baking may give a different flavor. This sounds like a neat recipe, good with pork!

Frankly I don't remember ever eating beets at all. It just wasn't something that Mom served in our Southern household. But since I signed up for the CSA (community supported agriculture) deal I need to learn to eat what can be grown locally. I am not sure if she will have beets this time - she said she had some at the farm when I signed up a few weeks ago.

She also said she had okra - something Mom did make but that I always hated for its slimy texture. I found a recipe for Easy Indian Style Okra at AllRecipes.com that sounds as though it will not be as bad. So if I get okra, I will be trying it!

Easy Indian Style Okra

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 pound sliced fresh okra
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the okra, and season with cumin, ginger, coriander, pepper and salt. Cook and stir for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until okra is tender.

NOTE - several of the comments recommended soaking the okra in vinegar before cooking and said that would reduce the sliminess so I plan to do that.

[cbayer]

10. There is only two ways I like Okra -

Breaded and quickly fried or stewed to the point it falls apart, like in gumbo.

I have had no luck with anything in between and can't stand the sliminess you get with most cooking methods.

But consider a good gumbo - either chicken/andouille or seafood. It's great in that.

:hi:

[csziggy]

11. About the only way Mom made okra was stewed with tomatoes

ICK! These days I am avoiding fried anything so that is out. If this Indian Okra isn't good, I may try a seafood gumbo the next time I can get fresh Gulf shrimp. Being only 50 miles from the coast lets us get good fresh seafood cheap - mostly shrimp these days.

I haven't made a gumbo so that would be different.