Recipe: Grated Raw Beet Salad
Monday, July 19, 2010
Last Saturday morning, Eric woke me up with a nudge. He had his laptop opened in front of him and he was looking through the food section of The New York Times website. ”You should make this,” he said, pointing at the screen. Without my glasses on, I couldn’t see what he was talking about. ”Make what?” I asked. ”This raw beet salad. It looks really good!” There are few things Eric goes bonkers over, and slaws are one of them. He just can’t get enough.
And I guess there are worse things your spouse could ask you to do. So, I assured him I’d gladly make it for him.
Normally when Eric makes one of these requests, it takes me at least a week to get my act together. But once I had my cup of coffee and was able to get a better look at the recipe, I knew I had to make it immediately.
We went to a fantastic organic farm on Cape Cod that has a small stand where they sell their produce and free-range eggs. It’s become our routine that we stop off here following our trip to the Cape Cod Brewery, which is only a few minutes down the road from the farm. So it was perfect that when we visited the stand later that day that we found the most beautiful golden beets.
After my first bite, I fell completely in love with this recipe. It is so rare that one finds a dish that requires no cooking… where raw ingredients can be used and it tastes just as wonderful (if not better) than when the items have been heated. This grated fresh beet salad is full of bright flavors, perfect for a hot summer day.
Added note regarding this recipe: I included some fresh lemon zest which accentuated the wonderful flavors of the dish.
Grated Raw Beet Salad
Ingredients
1/2 pound beets
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon minced chives, mint or parsley (or a combination)
Salt to taste
Leaves of 1 romaine heart
1. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.
2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leaves, top with the grated beets and serve.
Yield: Serves four.
Advance preparation: The grated beets can be dressed and kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. They become more tender but don’t lose their texture, and the mixture becomes even sweeter as the beet juices mingle with the citrus. Toss again before serving.
This was so delicious!! And the lemon really did add so much depth to that flavors!! Yum!!!!!!
M
Eric's lucky to have you. He just points and you magically make it happen. I had a few not so tasty Raw Beet Salad before, but this looks delicious and I'll give it another chance. Thanks.
I'm so impressed with your expedience! It always takes me months at least to make recipes that I see and "need to make now". This looks seriously tasty…I'm not such a fan of cabbage slaws but this has some serious flavor to it. And pizazz. It definitely has pizazz.
This looks really beautiful, colorful and simple…and sounds delicious! Perfect for summer!
Beets and I are good friends, and I can tell you for sure that I will be making this salad this week, just added the ingredients to my shopping list.
thanks SO much for sharing and tell Eric to find more great recipes like this one!
Beets are a veggie that I've fallen in love with over the past year or two. I grew up with the ones in a can, so I never really knew what a beet tasted like. This looks like a wonderful way to really enjoy a beet for what it is and what it's supposed to be. Gorgeous!
Ah beets…I love this under-appreciated vegetable. Your salad looks so crisp and refreshing. You are a sweet partner for sure! I finally finished my post on your scones…thank you so much for letting me mention you, my sweet blogging friend!
Yum yum! Great job… I'll have to give this a try!
What a beautiful looking salad. I love the fresh simplicity of it. I wish I had some beets in my house so I can go make it. The good thing is that next time I go to the green grocer I will definitely not forget the beets, which I have been doing for the past dozen times now!
what a gorgeous salad!! I never new you didn't have to cook beets…..I don't know why it never occurred to me..I will have to try it for school, I hate those pickled beets!
Mhm, raw beetroot salad! Beautiful, Brian. I love the idea and the colours! Good on the hubby for making you make this one
Jax x
A great healthy salad, which I should have made and eaten more!
Mmnnn . . . I loves me some beet salad – it makes me want to beet some one up.
Pero en serio – a mí, no importa si usted llama a la remolacha o betabel or betaraga. . . con cualquier nombre son muy sabrosas.
Nice and refreshing blog Brian! oh yeah, and yummy food too…he he!
Enjoy!
So perfect for these warmer days this beautiful, vibrant colored salad. Nice touch with the lemon zest.
I'm so happy you did this post – and thank Eric too for finding it! I love beets but have always cooked them. Have some gorgeous beets now that will be perfect for this slaw!
I'm with Eric… This raw beet salad looks fantastic… Buzzed!
I'm the only one who loves beets in my family. Never mind. I will make salad like this and eat all by myself. It's healthy right?
Like Anh, I might be the only one in my family who appreciates beets. This recipe looks so refreshing, I'll have to make it for myself or for a larger party when there might be other beet lovers in the group. Glad Eric found this!
I make a very similar Indian raw beet salad and pair it with a raw cabbage salad. I blogged about it a few months ago. Yours sounds great. I also have a huge weakness for slaws!
I have some fresh beets from farmers market and was wondering… what to do. What to do. I confess I don't like the little suckers but the family does so I forge on – this is too pretty to resist and who knows? With the addition of the lemon (makes everything bright), I may become a convert. Thanks for the recipe!
I am a HUGE fan of beets – hoping we get a few more in our CSA share today so I can try this. Never had them raw, but this looks delicious . . . did your kitchen look like a crime scene afterwards? That's the ONLY downside of those lovelies.
It took me so long to enjoy beetroots… but now I just love them, especially when raw. The lemon and orange juices are a brilliant seasoning! It is now on my "must-try" list!
How pretty! I just love beets…can't get enough of them. This is definitely going on my "must make" list. Really looking forward to making it with my crop of winter beets from my garden.
Stunning! And I love these flavors… a perfect salad for summer or any time
This salad looks perfectly refreshing for the summer!
I love raw beets, they retain that minerality that can get lost in too much cooking. I do an amazing raw beets over pasta check it out. http://www.sippitysup.com/remembering-beets-so-red-its-fusilli GREG
First of all, look at all the comments!! How exciting. Second, I love love love beets and this sounds perfect and so easy. Putting it at the top of the list.
Love the photos of the beets! I love beets but not prepare it… heh
I just stumbled upon your blog today, and the first thing that caught my eye is this salad! I have a child-like wonderment for beets because I didn't grown up with them. So now, I'm making up for lost time. This recipe shall be tried soon! Thanks!
W hen I read this I did not have an orange. So I added about 1/2 tsp of honey and some finely chopped fresh ginger. I keep the Goumet Garden Ginger as it so easy to add to recipes.