Harvest Recipe: Beets

This is definitely not my Moms recipe!  I was going to post a recipe for smoked beets but I don't have a smoker.  For now, I'll stick to the super easy harvest recipes until I'm ready to get a bit more creative.

Today I'm giving you 2 Harvest Recipes: Ginger Pickled Beets and Roasted Beet Salad from Whole Living.

Ginger Pickled Beets

Ingredients

Makes 1 quart

5 or 6 medium red beets (about 1 1/2 pounds without greens), tails and about 1 inch of stems left intact

1/2 cup thinly sliced, peeled fresh ginger (about 1 1/2 ounces)

1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Cover beets with cold water by 2 inches in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer beets until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 30 minutes. Transfer beets with a slotted spoon to ice-water bath.

Discard cooking liquid. Trim beets and rub off skins with paper towels, or peel beets with a paring knife. Cut beets into very thin rounds; transfer to a large bowl.

Bring ginger, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour liquid over beets; stir. Let stand until completely cool, at least 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate up to 1 month. 

Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients

8 small beets, cleaned and trimmed (about 2 pounds)

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups red oak leaf lettuce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Wrap the beets in parchment paper, place on a small baking sheet, and roast in the oven until they yield to a paring knife, about 35 to 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the caraway seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk together the oil and vinegar, add the toasted caraway seeds, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the beets have cooled, peel and cut them into eighths. Toss the beets in the dressing. Divide the lettuce among 4 salad plates and arrange the beets on top.