In Season Now: Beets

By Lenn Thompson

Growing up, my grandmother served beets at every holiday meal without fail. Of course they were from a can, but she served them anyway for my dad, a beet lover from way back. Grandma is still like that - if you like something and she knows it, you can bet you'll be seeing it again, again and again. For me, she always had salsa in the house. For my sister, it was bagels.

But as a kid, I hated beets. I thought that they tasted like the dirt they were grown in and anything that color - in my mind - should be Jello.

Local Beet Carpaccio with Catapano Farms Goat Cheese Ravioli.
Photo by Ellen Watson

Then, years later, after I moved to Long Island and tasted locally grown beets, roasted simply with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, I was converted. Sure, they can be a bit of a pain to work with. They are messy and stain your fingers and cutting board blood red. But they are well worth it.

To roast them, just cut the greens off, wrap each in foil (or a bunch if you're working with baby beets) with a little olive oil, and roast in the oven until tender. I usually roast them at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or so. Let them cool, peel them - I use an old towel to rub the peels off - and you can use them in salads, tossed with pasta, or even on pizza. My wife made a deliciously healthy pizza this week topping whole wheat pizza dough with sliced roasted beets and goat cheese. Once out of the oven, she added fresh torn basil from our garden and local arugula tossed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Delicious.

This week, Chef Doug Gulija of the Plaza Cafe in Southampton offers a great way to use local beets. Drink a refreshingly crisp Long Island Sauvignon Blanc with this dish - we recommend the 2007 Katherine's Field ($23) from Macari Vineyards in Mattituck.

Local Beet Carpaccio With Catapano Farms Goat Cheese Ravioli
Yield: Four Servings

Goat Cheese Ravioli:
Catapano Goat Cheese - Eight ounces
Crème fraiche - Four ounces
Chives, minced One tablespoon
Ravioli dough* as needed

• Combine goat cheese, crème fraiche, and minced chives. Portion on ravioli dough and cut into individual servings. Note: should you prefer not to make fresh pasta dough, wonton skins can be substituted.

Beet 'Carpaccio':
Local baby beets - One to two bunches
Olive Oil, Extra Virgin - Four ounces

• Wrap beets in foil and roast at 350 degrees until tender. Cool, peel and slice very thinly in the style of Carpaccio.

Beet Gastrique:
Local baby beets, peeled and diced (one to two bunches)
Red wine vinegar - Four ounces
Honey, Macari Vineyards - Four ounces
Orange juice, fresh squeezed - Four ounces

• Caramelize vinegar and honey. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half, strain.

Beet Salad:
Local baby beets (one bunch)
Micro beet shoots - One cup
Olive Oil, Extra Virgin - Four ounces

Presentation:
Carefully arrange beet 'Carpaccio' on one side of plate and drizzle with olive oil. If using wonton skins for ravioli, lightly sauté and arrange three on opposite side of plate. Drizzle ravioli with gastrique and garnish center of plate with beet salad.

Lenn Thompson lives in Sound Beach with his wife Nena and infant son, Jackson. He is the former editor of the Long Island Wine Gazette and writes about local wines for several media outlets including AppellationAmerica.com , Edible East End, and his blog LENNDEVOURS.com. He loves hearing from readers and fellow local wine enthusiasts. You can email him at lenndevours@gmail.com.