Beets two ways

There are many foods that I crave and dream of having when I'm peckish. Beets have never been part of that.

Since I stopped eating animal products, I've discovered that beets have become quite trendy particularly in plant based cooking. I suppose it has always been popular somewhere, like Eastern Europe where borscht is a traditional soup, made from beets. Borscht is one of the ways I learned to like beets. I enjoy beet hummus and shredded raw beets makes a nice slaw. I now have a huge interest in this plant which I ignored most of my life.

One of the trendy things found in the plantbased world, is beet carpaccio. This is the plant based take on beef carpaccio which is made from thinly sliced raw beef. This is usually dressed with a dressing of some kind.

For the beet carpaccio I have made a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. I like the tangy contrast to the sweetness of the beets.

To get the best results from beets, roasting them is the way to go. However, I boiled these to avoid taking the pots and pans out of the oven where I store them. I felt lazy and exhausted on my day off, now that I am back to work. It's only three days a week but it's non stop crazy labour in one of the busiest restaurants in town.

I boiled the beets until they were tender. After cooling them off I sliced them on a mandoline. I suppose you could take the time and use a knife.

As with beef carpaccio, the slices should be very thin. I suppose this should really be called a beet salad. Many vegan recipes call this carpaccio as a replacement for the traditional meat or seafood versions.

Beet carpaccio
200g cooked sliced beets
Strawberry vinaigrette
Basil pesto
Almond cream

Strawberry balsamic vinaigrette
150g strawberries
30g balsamic vinegar
80g olive oil
30g shallot
50g lemon juice
10g dijon mustard
30g agave nectar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
3 or 4 basil leaves

Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth or blend only the strawberries, chop the shallot fine, and add to the other ingredients then whisk for a less creamy texture. I took the faster and easier route.

This can last for a few days and is great to use for a regular salad later. I personally wouldn't keep it longer because of the fresh strawberries. If using cooked strawberries it would keep much longer.

The vinaigrette was drizzled on a bed of lettuce for the center and a little on the beets.

To add some different flavors and texture I dotted the beets with two creams. One was a basil walnut pesto, and the other was inspired by @marlyncabrera who made a cream out of almonds in this post. This is something I have never done before. I've always used cashews. Now that this professor and amazing chef has taught me this, I can spend half the money by using almonds instead of cashews.

The pesto was made with walnuts that I had in the cupboard. It was made with 30g basil, 40g walnuts, 50g olive oil, 70g fresh lemon juice, 10 agave nectar, 10g garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

The almond cream was made with around 2 cups blanched raw almonds, 40g olive oil, 60g water from blanched almonds, 10g nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste.

This almond cream is so smooth and silky once it's blended. I was so amazed. This was one of the best and most valuable tips I could ever get as a dairy replacement. Like I mentioned, it costs half the amount of cashews. I love using cashews because they blend easily, but with more water added to the almonds, it works out great.

I have also used this cream to add to my beet risotto.

Beet risotto
775g arborio rice
300g cooked beets
100g onion
10 garlic
150g white wine
1.75 litres vegetable broth (approximately)
3 tablespoons olive oil
50g vegan butter
1 tsp fresh thyme
1tsp lemon zest (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

I have made risotto only a few times but never with beets. This was something I didn't know if I would like but it worked out great, although I would never attempt to cook risotto with an expert Italian chef standing beside me. I'm sure I would have been yelled at a few times.

For the rice I used arborio which on the packaged said it was good for risotto. I've had it in my cupboard for quite some time. I finally got to using it. For risotto the rice should not be rinsed. The starches will provide the creaminess that risotto should have.

I did blend most of the beets. Some people chop it and leave chunks in it. I really wanted to disperse it into the risotto, in case I found it too overpowering to bite into. I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

Start by cooking the onions in oil on medium for a minute, then turn to medium low. The onions should not brown, but be slightly golden.

Add the rice and stir until the grains are lightly toasted. Do not burn.

Add seasonings and keep stirring gently.

Add wine and keep stirring gently. It's common to use white wine for risotto but for beet risotto you could use red wine. I stuck with the white. I know some people don't use wine but in my opinion, it's a key ingredient. Keep in mind that the alcohol is completely cooked out leaving the flavor.

I started adding the broth at this point, simmering and gently stirring. Add a little broth, let it evaporate a little, then keep adding a little more at a time. You can stop stirring for a minute but it's best to stay in attendance to make sure you don't let the rice stick to the bottom.

I added a little broth to the beets when I blended them.

The puree was added near the end. If I had roasted the beets first, the colour would have stayed more vibrant.

Add the amount of broth necessary to create a creamy texture, while making sure that the grains of rice still have a bite to them. At the end you can stir in butter if you want. This will add to the creaminess and the flavor.

I squeezed a little lemon juice on it, and put some zest in while cooking. This is optional. The almond cream replaced the cheese that is often added to beet dishes.