Beet Greens salad
My first taste of fresh beets was at Thanksgiving, the year Steve’s aunt’s leaned on the stove and turned it off, mid turkey, and dinner was delayed by about an hour, which is how long they took to realize what had happened. Louise served fresh beets from her garden. They literally melted in your mouth and she had simply steam-roasted them and topped with butter. Amazing!
Shirely E generously pulled me a basket of beets. Sadly, the largest of the lot got run over unexpectedly by a truck that came down the laneway while I was picking tomatoes, but I salvaged the beet tops and the rest that were in tact. I found a recipe on the NY Times (off with their heads) that encouraged people to keep the greens on and enjoy them. It followed with a salad recipe: Golden Beet and Beet-Greens Salad with Yogurt and Rosemary Mint and Dill
TOTAL TIME About 30 minutes, plus time to cook the beets
INGREDIENTS
- 12 to 16 ounces beet greens (or chard or other greens)
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
- 1/3 cup red onion or shallot, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture
- Pinch cayenne
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE
- 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch cayenne
- 1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 5 Tbs rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped3 tablespoons freshly snipped dill for garnish
PREPARATION
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Make the yogurt sauce: Put the yogurt in small bowl. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin-coriander mixture, herbs and olive oil.
5. Lightly salt the greens and dress with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange dressed greens on a platter and top with a little smear of the yogurt sauce. Enjoy the rest of the yogurt sauce at the table.
