This beet salad uses both the greens and the root. It’s spiced with Moroccan flavors with just enough heat to keep you wanting more.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch bunch of beets greens attached and retained , peeled and sliced about 1/16″ thick
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 clove garlic
- olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- lemon slices for garnish
- very good olive oil
Directions
1. Put the very thin, uniformly round beets slices into a bowl along with the juice of 2 or 3 lemons. You want plenty of juice, but it does not need to be soupy.
2 Add the cayenne pepper. Set those aside until plating time to marinate at room temperature. But do not let them marinate more than 4 hours. Drain them before plating.
3. Clean the beet greens by totally submerging them in a colander set in a large bowl of cool water. Agitate them well and leave to soak a few minutes. Then lift out the colander, drain the water, refill the bowl and repeat until there is no grit. (This is both easier and much more effective than the running water and colander method.)
4. Roll a stack of beets leaves lengthwise, like a cigar. Then slice across the roll making perfect chiffonades about ¼ inch wide. Continue with all the greens.
5. Put the greens into a big pot with a lid. Add a tablespoon or two of water. Cover the pot and bring what little liquid there is to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 or 6 minutes before proceeding.
6. Next put the greens back into the colander and press out as much liquid as you can.
7. Slice 4 garlic cloves and put them into a large frying pan with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Sauté them at medium high until garlic begins to brown.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, along with a few grinds of black pepper.
9. Stir in the barely steamed greens adding a bit of olive oil if the mixture seems dry.
10. Mound the greens onto the center of a serving dish and give them a good squeeze of lemon juice. Surround the greens with plenty of the raw marinated golden beets. A good drizzle of olive oil finishes the dish. Serve at room temperature.
