All hail the lowly beet!

Muddy and hairy, with strange protrusions, they’re odd looking creatures when pulled from the earth, but clean them up a bit and they transform into beautiful jewels. Red beets are the most common, but lately you can find them in so many colors and varieties. Upscale shops have jumped on the beet craze, so search them out in produce boutiques and farmers’ markets. See how many colors and shapes you can find.

Why this sudden beet craze?

Because they’re good for you. And not just good for you in the way that the ever-growing list of superfoods are good for you. Beets surpass them all. They’re truly a wonderfood! Find out just how amazingly nutritious they are here, in the ClinMed International Library.

While they may be all the rage, we Jews have been hip to beets since forever. Sure, those of us who’s grandparents and great-grandparents came from Eastern Europe grew up with beets in borscht, beets with herring, beets from cans with melted butter on top. But our earliest fore-parents in Mesopotamia, four thousand years ago, were totally into beets. Beets might have been served as a side by Sarah, roasted with the meats, when she prepared a meal for the three angels disguised as travelers.

Most likely, as a high priestess she used them as medicine, as that’s what they were best known for in those days.

I’m really glad that beets are good for me, but that’s not why I eat them.

I eat them because I like them. A lot. I eat them roasted, shredded, juiced, in a gratin, in a soup, in salads, in desserts…I eat them in anything and everything.

This is one of my all-time favorite salads. It showcases roasted beets in all their gloriousness. The more varieties of beets you can find and use here, the more gorgeousness you’ll get from this dish that utilizes both the roots and the deeply flavored leaves. Diced crisp apples, tiny juicy orange segments, and fresh dill create a combination of flavors that excite the palate and dance on the tongue. A creamy immersion of apples, walnut oil, and raw cider vinegar ties it all together. The spiced pecans are an unexpected burst of zing amid the earthy flavors. If you’re not pairing this with a meat meal (and you keep kosher), feel free to add some crumbles of a creamy gorgonzola or goat cheese. If you’re looking for a light, refreshing summer supper, serve this Roasted Rainbow Beet salad as an entrée with a loaf of good bread and a glass or two of an effervescent, lightly sweet, ice cold white wine. On the verandah… Overlooking the water… A girl can dream….

Many of the components of this dish can be prepped in advance. The pecans can be prepared a week ahead of time, but know that you will run the risk of eating them all before the salad is made. The dressing can be done a few days in advance. Beets can be roasted and peeled a day or two before. After that…easy peasy!

Roasted Rainbow beet salad

beet greens, apples, mandarins, sweet onion, spiced pecans, apple walnut vinaigrette

Optional goat or gorgonzola cheese

This is actually a group of recipes that can also stand on their own or be used in other ways. Consider it a guide. The amounts used are not an exact science. The right amount of fruits is determined by the ratio that seems right to you. This is your recipe!

Want to really feature the beets? Let the beet greens be the only greens in the mix. Want more greens? Grab some spinach, baby kale, mustard greens, aruguala, dandelion, whatever greens you like and whatever looks good in the market, and add it to the mix. Love sweet onion? Slice more. Not a big fan? Use less or leave it out. Pecans too spicy? Use less cayenne.

I would stay true to the recipe for the dressing and only alter it by adjusting the salt and pepper to your taste.

I hope you love this as much as I do.

For the Spiced Pecans

These spiced pecans are not the usual sugar-and-cinnamon-coated treats. I love those, but these are not those. They do have a bit of sweetness, but the cumin and cayenne are predominant. They work beautifully in this salad…and on their own.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pecan halves

• ½ cup water

• 2½ Tablespoons sweet, unsalted butter

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Method:

Lightly toasting the pecans enhances their flavor.

• Preheat oven to 350°

• Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet in a single layer. 

• Bake them for about 15 minutes, (maybe less).  Watch them carefully.  They should toast a little, but not burn.

• Next, combine the rest of the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan and bring it to a boil.  Add the toasted pecans and cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed and the nuts are completely coated.  Spread them out, single layer, on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Let them rest undisturbed until completely cool and dry. 

  These will keep in a zip bag or a tightly covered jar for about a week.

For the Apple Walnut Dressing

Calling this a walnut dressing is a bit of a misnomer, because it contains no walnuts. It gets a hint of walnut-y flavor from the walnut oil. You can use all walnut oil— I particularly like this one from La Tourangelle (it’s toasted and that really brings out the nutty flavor)—but (because it’s costly) I use a combination of walnut oil and avocado oil. Avoid using a richly flavored olive oil here, as it will overpower the other flavors in the dressing. Avocado oil has become very popular lately, for its high smoke point and health benefits. But, just like olive oils, there are a lot of imposters out there. I usually use Chosen Foods avocado oil. Full disclosure, it’s expeller, not cold, pressed, but it’s 100% pure unadulterated avocado oil. I buy it at Costco (where the price is amazing), but you can also get it at Amazon.

Ingredients:

• 1½  granny smith apples – peeled and cored, cut into chunks

• 3 shallots, peeled and cut in quarters

• ¾ cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon white sugar

• walnut oil

• 2 cups good quality olive oil

• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt

• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• In a food processor, combine the apple chunks and shallots and process until smooth. 

• Add the vinegar and salt and process again. 

• Add the oils and blend until creamy. 

• Add the salt and pepper and blend one more time. 

  Use immediately or store in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar.  Shake well before using.

For the Roasted Beet Salad

Preparing each component separately makes for a better finished salad.

Ingredients:

• 6 large beets and their greens—for the most fun, use as many colors and varieties as you can find.

• 3 small tangerines or Mandarins

• 1 large crisp apple, such as HoneyCrisp or Pink Lady

• 1 small Vidalia onion, or other mild sweet onion

• Optional: Other tender greens, such as spinach, mustard, arugula, dandelion, spring mix, etc., sliced if the leaves are large.

• Optional: crumbled cheese— soft goat cheese, sweet gorgonzola, or feta work best. You can also use tiny mozzarella pearls.

Method:

• Prepare the beets—Preheat your oven to 350°. A higher temperature will get them done faster, but a slower roast brings out the natural sugars and improves the flavor. Cut the tops off the beets, reserving the leaves. Trim away any long roots. Give them a rinse to remove any loose soil and wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Roast them on the oven rack for an hour, then try to pierce the largest one with a fork. If the fork slips in easily, they’re done. If they’re not quite soft enough, leave them in longer. It can take an hour and a half, or even longer, depending upon the size of the beets. Once tender, remove them from the oven and allow them cool in the foil just until you can handle them without burning your hands. One by one, unwrap them, and holding the beet in a paper towel, rub the surface. The skins should rub right off. When they’re skinned I give them a quick rinse to remove any bits left behind. You now have two choices: you can dice the beets or cut them into ¼” thick slices. It’s all about the look and texture you’d like to achieve. Pour just enough dressing over the beets to coat them nicely and hold them aside.

• Prepare the onion—Peel the onion, cut it in half, and then slice it into ¼” half-moon slices. To mellow their flavor further, put the slices in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and add ½ teaspoon each kosher salt and sugar. Let them sit for 30 minutes, then drain them, rinse them, and toss them with a little of the dressing in the same way that you did with the beets.

• Prepare the Mandarins—Peel the skins and separate the segments, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Toss the slices with a little of the dressing to coat them and set them aside.

• Prepare the apples—Peel, core, and dice the apples. Toss them in a little dressing to coat them so that they don’t oxidize.

• Prepare the greens—Carefully wash the beet greens, removing the tough stems, and slice them into ribbons. If you’re using other greens, wash and trim as necessary. Combine all the greens together. Toss them in enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves, without having them swimming in dressing. Don’t dress them until you’re ready to serve the salad, or they’ll wilt.

• Assemble the salad—On a serving platter, or on individual plates, create a base with the lightly dressed greens. Arrange the beets, apples, orange segments, onion slices, and any cheese you might be using on top, then finish with the spiced pecans.

• Serve the salad, with additional dressing on the side if you like.