Roasted Beets With Crispy Sunchokes And Pickled Orange Ginger Purée Food

ROASTED BEETS WITH CRISPY SUNCHOKES AND PICKLED ORANGE-GINGER PURéE

Steps:

• Pickled Orange-Ginger Purée:
• Place the zest strips in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then drain. Repeat this process two more times (blanching the orange zest removes any bitter flavors). Place the ginger and orange zest in a jar or heatproof container. In a saucepan, bring the lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and ¾ teaspoon salt to a boil. Pour over the ginger and orange. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The pickled ginger can be refrigerated for a couple of months.
• Drain the pickled ginger and orange and save 3 tablespoons of the pickling liquid. Add both to a blender or mini food processor, along with the olive oil, chile, and remaining 2 tablespoons salt. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the side of the blender as needed. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use. The puree can be made a couple of days ahead. (Makes about 1 cup.)
• Roasted beets:
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the beets in a baking dish (if using a mix of red and golden beets, separate them into two smaller dishes and divide the oil, vinegar, and water between the two dishes). Drizzle with the oil and add the water and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife; this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the thickness of the beets. Let the beets cool, then peel and cut into 1-inch wedges. Place each color of beet, along with any accumulated juices, into a small mixing bowl.
• Toasted cashews:
• In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the cashews and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl.
• Sunchoke chips:
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a small saucepan and add the sunchokes (there should be just enough oil to cover the sunchokes; add more oil if needed). Turn the heat to medium and stir occasionally; when the sunchokes begin to sizzle and foam, increase the temperature to high and continue frying, stirring constantly, until the sunchokes are light golden brown. At this point the sunchokes will rapidly go from golden brown to burnt, so quickly transfer the chips to paper towels to drain. Lightly season with salt. The sunchoke chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, or until they start to soften. (Makes about ½ cup.)
• For serving:
• Using a sharp knife, cut the peel and pith off the orange. Working over a bowl, cut the orange between the membranes to release the segments. Dice the segments, then return them to the bowl.
• Drizzle the beet wedges with a little bit of olive oil, season with salt, and toss.
• Spread the ginger puree on the bottom of a shallow serving bowl or plate. Arrange the beets over the puree. Sprinkle the chopped orange segments over the beets and grind some pepper over the dish. Top with the cashews, herbs, and sunchoke chips. Serve.

ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGE AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place beets on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold foil around beets and crimp ends to form a packet. Roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer beets to a large bowl and drizzle with vinegar, honey, and orange juice. Top with orange zest and thyme.

ROASTED BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks. (Small beets can be halved, medium ones cut in quarters, and large beets cut in eighths.)
• Place the cut beets on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and immediately toss with the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm.

ORANGE BEETS

Steps:

• Leaving root and 1 inch of stem on beets, trim tops and scrub with a brush.
• Place in a large saucepan, cover with water.
• Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or until tender.
• Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Drain, cool.
• Trim off beet roots, rub off skins.
• Cut beets into cubes to measure 3 1/2 cups.
• Melt butter in a large nonstick frypan over medium heat.
• Add beets, rind, and next 4 ingredients, (rind through pepper.) Bring to boil, cook until liquid is the consistency of a thin syrup (about 12 minutes), stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle with almonds.

ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGE GREMOLATA AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub beets and trim tops by 1 in. Place beets on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 24x12 in.). Fold foil around beets, sealing tightly. Place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, 55-65 minutes. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape., When cool enough to handle, peel, halve and slice beets; place in a serving bowl. Add lime juice, orange juice and salt; toss to coat. Combine parsley, sage, garlic and orange zest; sprinkle over beets. Top with goat cheese and sunflower kernels. Serve warm or chilled.

ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lay a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and place beets in the center. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap foil loosely around beets and roast in oven until beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
• Using a zester, remove a quarter of the orange rind in long, thin strips. Cut away remaining rind and pith with a sharp knife. Remove segments from half the orange and cut them in half crosswise; set aside. Squeeze juice from remaining half and place 1 tablespoon of juice in a small bowl. Add vinegar and ginger and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Peel beets and quarter them; toss in a bowl with vinaigrette. Mix with orange segments, zest, and pecans, reserving some of each to sprinkle on top as a garnish.

SIMPLE ROASTED BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut off the leafy tops of the beets, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem, and reserve them for another use. Wash the beets well to remove all of the sand.
• Toss the beets with the oil, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Transfer the beets to a large piece of foil, add the herb sprig if using and wrap the foil up into a packet. Put the packet on a baking sheet and roast until fork-tender, 40 to 50 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Carefully open the packet, watching out for steam. Let the beets cool for 5 minutes, then peel while still warm by rubbing off the skins with paper towels.
• Slice and dress the beets as desired and serve.

ORANGE BEETS

Steps:

• Heat brown sugar, vinegar, orange juice, and butter in a saucepan.
• Mix cornstarch with water in a small dish; stir into juice in pan and cook, stirring until sauce is thickened and bubbly.
• Drain beets and add beets to sauce, and cook until heated through.
• Serve beets garnished with slivers of orange peel, if desired.