Eating in: Un-beet-able spring recipes!

Rooting for flavour: UN-BEET-ABLE spring recipes

Halifax chef Andrew Farrell shares his latest recipes made with everyone’s favourite red vegetable

BEET RECIPES BY ANDREW FARRELL PHOTOS BY BRUCE MURRAY, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

Beets, such a wonderful treat! These vegetal gems are great for all kinds of creative dishes, from a depression-era inspired red velvet cake to a creamy vinaigrette. Discover the many uses and flavours of beet in these unique recipes.

Note: All these recipes start with roasted beets. Here’s my favourite method for roasting, which also makes them easier to peel.

ROASTED BEETS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400° F

2. Give beets a quick rinse and place in an oven-safe dish. Toss beets in 1-2 tbsp of neutral oil (canola, sunflower, etc.), and cover dish with foil.

3. Roast at 400° F for 50-60 minutes (for average sized beets), until the beet can be easily pierced with a paring knife.

4. Allow beets to cool slightly, then peel using a kitchen towel to rub away the roasted beet skin.

APPLE, ARUGULA AND RADISH SALAD WITH GOLDEN BEET VINAIGRETTE

3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 Jonagold or Honeycrisp apple

2 cups arugula

3-4 radishes

100 g roasted golden beet (about 1 medium beet)

100 ml cider vinegar

250 ml canola oil

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. turmeric

Preparation:

1. In a blender, combine golden beet, cider vinegar, dijon mustard, turmeric, garlic, and salt. Blend to combine, then stream in canola oil while blender is still running. The result should be smooth and creamy in texture. If mixture is too thick, loosen it with a tsp of water.

2. Slice apple and radish into thin appealing shapes.

3. Toss apple and radish with arugula and enough vinaigrette to coat.

4. Store remaining vinaigrette in fridge for up to 1 month.

RED VELVET SKILLET CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

Makes 3 small cast iron-sized skillet cakes (or 1 large cake)

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

240 g all-purpose flour

240 g sugar

180 g cooked purple beet

300 ml olive oil

300 ml 2% milk

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F

2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.

3. In a blender, add olive oil, eggs, milk and beet. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour blender contents into bowl containing dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Mixture does not have to be perfectly smooth.

5. Pour batter into cast iron skillet(s) — no greasing necessary if skillet is seasoned — and bake until a butter knife comes clean from the centre of the cake. For smaller cakes, this is about 25-30 minutes, and a larger cake takes 45-50 minutes.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. 2% milk 1

tbsp. cream cheese 4

tbsp. icing sugar

Preparation:

1. Combine milk and cream cheese in a microwave safe container, heat 30 seconds at a time until cream cheese can be stirred into the milk to combine.

2. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.

ROASTED BEETS WITH WHIPPED FETA AND PISTACHIO DUKKAH

3-4 servings

Ingredients:

6-8 roasted beets Dill, any variety (optional but lovely)

Whipped Feta

150 g feta cheese

50 ml olive oil

1 tbsp. milk

Pistachio Dukkah

1/2 cup pistachios

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. salt

Preparation:

1. In food processor, add feta cheese and milk. Pulse mixture to loosen.

2. Turn on processor and stream in olive oil until feta is smooth in consistency.

3. Slice cooled roasted beets into interesting shapes.

4. Make the dukkah: Heat a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat, and toast ingredients in batches. Start with pistachios, being careful not to burn them. Repeat with coconut and sesame seeds. Keep things moving as you toast them! When toasted, add to food processor along with cumin, coriander and salt, and pulse until a coarse texture is formed.

5. Assemble dish: Spread whipped feta around plate, forming a base for everything else. Then scatter the beets across the feta and dust with the pistachio dukkah. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and serve.