Moroccan roasted beets

[intheflow]

Last edited Sun Jun 8, 2014, 09:44 PM - Edit history (2)

Well, here's a recipe that was so good I absolutely had to share it with you all! I found it in a book that's part memoir/part cookbook called The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather.

Ms. Mather was the food critic for one of the big Chicago newspapers and didn't want to give up taste when she scaled down. Every recipe sounds amazing, but this one really caught my imagination and I made it yesterday. ZOMG!! SOOOOOOOO GOOD! Sweet and tangy and earthy - just amazing!

4-6 servings

2 lbs beets
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
1 teaspoon cumin
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of course salt

Preheat oven to 400-degreeF.

Wash the beets and prepare them by trimming away all but a 1/2" of greens if they still have their leaves, and leaving them untrimmed if they don't. Don't worry about their root-end tails. Wrap the beets in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place the package on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the beets for 1-2 hours, until they are completely tender when pierced with a knife. Remove the beets from the oven; allow to cool. (itf note: I popped them in the oven when I woke up, baked for the 2 hours it took to get ready for work, then just let them cool in the oven all day.)

Skin the beets with a paring knife. Cut the beets into 1/2" dice and put into a bowl.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant but not yet brown. Add the cumin and continue to cook for 1 minute longer. Pour the hot oil over the beets. Toss the beets to coat them with the oil; add the lemon juice and salt and toss again.

Let the salad stand for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Author note: The cumin in these beets plays up their earthines. They improve by standing at room temperature, covered, for up to 24 hours. After that, if there are any left, refrigerate them.

[Little Star]

1. Sounds good! I love beets.

[LiberalEsto]

2. I make a Moroccan carrot salad that sounds similar

Last edited Thu Aug 8, 2013, 01:42 PM - Edit history (1)

but I steam the carrot slices until tender, and add chopped parsley and red wine vinegar. It's great to bring to potlucks.

[intheflow]

5. Sounds really colorful! :)

I'd never heard of Moroccan food, specifically, before. I made a Moroccan meatloaf to go along with it that used shredded carrots along with cinnamon and ginger. Never would have guessed those flavors would all blend together so wonderfully. Will you share your carrot recipe with me so I can include it on my next Moroccan meal night?

[LiberalEsto]

6. Here you go!

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Serves 10-12

5 pounds of carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (use less if it seems like too much)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel carrots and slice on a slant into 1/8-inch slices.
Place in pot with garlic and enough water to barely cover, and cook until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and place in serving dish.
Toss with other ingredients.
This can be served warm or refrigerated and served cold.

The ingredient measurements don't need to be exact; feel free to tinker with amounts.

[intheflow]

7. Nice!

Very simple. I like it! I went to the farmer's market tonight and bought two massive carrots. I mean it: each one is the size of three or four regular carrots! So I will definitely be trying your recipe soon. Though I may use a garlic vinegar I recently bought, just because I firmly believe the more garlic, the better.

I also went looking for a Moroccan carrot recipe after you posted and came up with this: Moroccan Grated Carrot and Beet Salad. Like the best of both worlds! To be tried after the next farmers market, when I can get more beets.

[eissa]

3. What a coincidence

I just made a beets for my lunch today. I didn't roast them in the oven, just skinned them and boiled them. Once tender and cool, I cut them in wedges, added some chopped parsley, chopped almonds, squeezed a whole lime and drizzled with olive oil. Voila!

I love Moroccan flavors, so I'm definitely trying this recipe

[intheflow]

4. I made a Moroccan-esque meatloaf to go along

with the beets, more or less following this recipe: http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/moroccan-meatloaf. It came out awesome, too.

Never made anything Moroccan before. Now I think it's my favorite food group!