Spice (57 page)

T
ROUT
S
PANAKOPİTTA WİTH
A
VOCADO AND
S
ALMON
R
OE

Beet Tzatziki

This beet dish is my twist on classic Greek tzatziki, which is traditionally made with cucumbers and is part of every Greek mezze table. The texture of shredded roasted beets is just wonderful with garlic and yogurt.

There are three widely available beet varieties: red, golden, and candy-striped. Red beets work in this recipe, but they’re intense, and I prefer to use a subtler beet. Red beets are vivid red and bleed their color easily, which makes for stained hands during peeling. They also have a strong, earthy flavor and tend to scare beet haters away. Golden beets have a sweet, subtle, honeylike flavor that turns beet haters into beet lovers. My favorite variety the are candy-striped beets, called
chioggia
in Italian, with beautiful pink and white rings that swirl throughout.

I like to roast rather than boil my beets because roasting intensifies the sugars and makes for a more richly flavored dish. Boiling beets takes about half as much time as roasting, however, and it’s fine to cook them that way if you’re pressed for time. I’ve listed directions for both methods below.

If you want to make traditional tzatziki, use shredded cucumber instead of beets, and drain the water out by squeezing small amounts between the palms of your hands before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.

The choice of yogurt is crucial in this recipe; it’s best to use Greek-style yogurt, which is thicker and creamier than American brands. See page 331 for yogurt tips.

This beet tzatziki is wonderful served with Spinach Falafel (page 185) or grilled meats. It’s great as one of many mezze or antipasti as a salad or vegetable course, served with Cranberry Beans Stewed with Tomato and Cinnamon (page 113) and Spinach Bundles with Warm Goat Cheese (page 180). It makes the perfect accompaniment for a light summer lunch with grilled salmon. And served with vegetable crudités and pita bread, it also works as an intriguing hors d’oeuvre.

M
AKES
2½
CUPS

For the Beets

1 cup cooked, shredded candy-striped, golden, or red beets (about 4–5 golf ball-size beets)

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Tzatziki

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (about 1 clove)

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ¼ lemon)

1 teaspoon salt

1½ cups whole-milk plain or sheep’s-milk yogurt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

To Make Roasted Beets

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.
Wash the beets.

3.
Trim the root ends off of the beets so that they stand without rolling around.

4.
Rub the beets with a little vegetable oil and place them in a small, heavy roasting pan or skillet. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste, pour in ½ cup water, and cover them twice with foil. Four golf ball–size beets should take 45 minutes to roast. They should be tender when poked with a fork.

5.
When cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.

6.
Grate the beets using the large holes of a box grater.

To Make Boiled Beets

1.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. You should be able to fit 4 beets, covered with water, into the pan easily.

2.
Wash the beets.

3.
Trim the root ends off of the beets so that they stand without rolling around.

4.
Drop the beets into the boiling water and turn the heat down to medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the beets are tender when poked with a fork. Drain them into a colander.

5.
When cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.

6.
Grate the beets using the large holes of a box grater.

To Make the Tzatziki

1.
Place the garlic into a medium mixing bowl with the lemon juice and salt. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. This takes some of the heat out of the raw garlic.

2.
Stir in the yogurt, olive oil, and black pepper.

3.
Fold in the shredded beets and dill, and reseason with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Serve the beets cold or at room temperature.

Grilled Peach and Pepper Salad

This recipe is a favorite in late summer, when peaches are best. I first tasted this combination in a small taverna outside Athens, where they served slices of roasted red pepper and grilled peaches spiced with cumin seed. I like to use fresh herbs to heighten the smoky flavors and bring out the brightness of the pepper and sweet peach.

It’s perfect paired with Fried Haloumi Cheese (page 10) and is also wonderful with grilled swordfish. You also can serve this as a mezze or antipasti course with the Cranberry Beans on page 113 and/or with crumbled feta or blue cheese.

A glass of chilled Arneis, a white wine from the Piedmonte region which sometimes has a little fizz, is delicious with this salad.
Arneis
in the Piedmonte dialect means “a difficult and demanding person”—an appropriate name for a grape which is difficult to properly vinify. Arneis usually has a slight licorice flavor with an aroma of apple and pear.

S
ERVES
4
AS A MEZZE OR ANTİPASTİ COURSE

2 ripe peaches, unpeeled

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/8 lemon)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded (see page 97)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint

¼ to ½ teaspoon Aleppo chilies

1.
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Cut each half into halves again, and then each quarter into 4, making 16 pieces total. Toss the peaches with ½ teaspoon of the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and set aside.

2.
Cut each pepper in the same fashion as the peaches, making 16 pepper strips. Scrape off any remaining seeds or black skin with the back of a knife. Do not wash the peppers or you will wash away their natural oils and much of their flavor.

3.
Place the pepper strips in a small mixing bowl and toss them with the remaining ½ teaspoon lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and set aside.

4.
Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat, until hot. Sear the peach slices on one side until they begin to caramelize and turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the slices over and brown the other side. Remove them from the pan immediately and place them back into the mixing bowl. If the skins bother you, you can remove them at this point. They should come off easily and leave a beautiful pink stain on the peach pieces.

5.
Toss the peaches carefully, without breaking them up too much, with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the herbs, pepper slices, and Aleppo chilies.

6.
Serve at room temperature arranged on a platter or in a glass serving bowl.

Variation

You can grill the peaches in halves on a charcoal grill (see Grilling Tips, page 100) for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the skins when the peaches are cool enough to handle and slice each half into quarters, giving you 8 pieces.

Chopped Romaine and Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dressing

This crunchy, flavor-packed salad is inspired by the finely shredded romaine salads I ate in Greece, and is one of the most requested recipes at Oleana. The magic comes from the combination of the fresh parsley, dill, and mint. It’s worth every bit of labor and love that goes into it.