We strongly recommend that you bake the beetroot [Ed. note, beets in North America] for this recipe according to the instructions below – baked beetroot have a stronger flavour, deeper colour and a denser, crunchier texture. Having said that, you could use boiled and it will still taste really nice. We use regular purple beetroot, but do try multicoloured ones if you wish. And if you don’t have time to make the labneh, you could use a smear of oat crème fraîche.
If you are one of the many people who have only tried cooked beets, be prepared to fall in love. The secret to the tastiest raw beets is to cut them very thinly.
In this poke variation, ruby red beets, slicked with sesame oil and studded with crunchy limu seaweed, give a pretty good imitation of ‘ahi.
Sweet, earthy beets and tangy, bright citrus are a heavenly pair, but when you toss some cool, crisp fennel into the mix you have a truly memorable trio.
We keep stalks of sugarcane in a galvanized bucket on the table in front of the wood-burning stove, using them to flavor a roast the way other restaurants might use a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary.
Dice 1 cooked carrot. Mix with 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, and some salt, and beat well. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a frying pan, add the batter, and cook on both sides [until it starts to brown]. Serve topped with a fried egg, and garnish with fried new potatoes and a gratin of beets.
The combination of pickled beets and horseradish is common in eastern Europe, and its popularity has been co-opted by German cooks, who have long used both elements in the kitchen.
Ingredients
A moutabel dip is a must on the Eastern Mediterranean mezze table. A traditional Syrian specialty, it was usually made with eggplant, but nowadays there are a variety of moutabels, such as beet, potato and zucchini.
4 to 6 Servings