Beet the heat

Not long ago, in a little New England bistro, I got a surprise introduction to macerated beets.

Upon first bite it was obvious that something was different: they were too bright and fresh tasting to be roasted, retained a distinctive crunch that would be unobtainable from boiling, yet they are still softer than a raw beet would be...

I looked up at my friend, "How did you make this??"

Apparently soaking beets in vinegar, salt, or sugar (similar to how we sugar berries for a pie) will soften them up to the point that you can enjoy them on a salad without breaking your teeth and without turning on your oven in the mid-summer heat wave.

Sold?

So was I.

The bistro's method is to julienne (ie. match-stick) the beets, sprinkle them with sugar, salt, and pepper, then cover them in vinegar over night.  I omitted the sugar and included lemon juice and zest to add a little flavor but the overall product is the same - simple, edible, summery, heat-free.

Heat-Free Beet Salad

Ingredients (makes roughly 3 large salads)

• 1 large beet: peeled + grated or julienned (cut into matchstick sized pieces)
• 1 lemon, juiced + zested
• 1 t salt + pepper
• Apple cider vinegar as needed
• 2 small carrots, peeled + grated or juilienned
• 1 oz goat cheese, per salad
• 1 T pepitas, per salad
• 1 large handful of arugula, per salad

Garnish

• Olive oil
• Lemon zest
• Salt and pepper

Combine

1. To macerate the beets: dump them into a lidded container with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.  Cover them rest of the way with vinegar then shake well until the liquids are well combined.  Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours but not more than 8 (soaking them for too long will cause them to lose all their flavor and get too soft).
2. Sprinkle a bed of arugula with the beets, carrots, goat cheese crumbles, and pepitas.
3. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the leftover beet vinegar over the salad, then drizzle with a little olive oil, and garnish with lemon zest.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then enjoy!