Best Beets With Mint And Yogurt Recipes

ROASTED BEETS WITH MINT-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss beets with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover dish tightly with foil and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size. When cool enough to handle, rub beets with a paper towel to remove skins.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, mint, cumin, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Spoon yogurt sauce over beets and serve.

HASSELBACK BEETS WITH DILL YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim, peel and halve 2 1/2 pounds medium beets; slice as directed (see left). Place the beets in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and drizzle with 3/4 cup olive oil; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add cup water and cover with foil. Roast at 425 degrees F, 40 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting, spreading the slices apart and basting with the pan juices halfway through, until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 more minutes. Let cool slightly. Mix 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons each chopped dill and lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Drizzle over the beets and top with crushed pink peppercorns and more dill.
• Cut a thin sliver from one side of the vegetable so it can sit flat. (If you¿re starting with halved veggies, like the beets at right, skip this step.)
• Position the vegetable cut-side down between the handles of two wooden spoons.
• Using a sharp knife, make crosswise cuts (1/8 to 1/4 inch apart), stopping when the knife hits the handles so you don't cut all the way through the vegetable.

BEETS WITH MINT AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Peel the beet and grate it coarsely.
• Put the yogurt in a bowl and beat it lightly with a fork or a whisk until it is smooth and creamy. Add the salt, pepper to taste, and cayenne, if using. Mix. Add the mint and beet. Mix gently.
• Put the oil and garlic in a small frying pan and set over medium-high heat. The garlic will eventually begin to sizzle. Press down on the garlic with a spatula and let it sizzle some more, turning the pieces once or twice, until they turn a medium brown. Now pour the flavored oil and garlic into the bowl with the yogurt and mix.

BEETS WITH CREAMY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE AND MINT

Steps:

• Wrap the garlic cloves together in a piece of parchment paper; wrap each beet separately in parchment. Place the garlic and beets in a microwave-safe dish and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the garlic and set aside, still wrapped. Continue to cook the beets in intervals of 2 minutes, until they can be easily pierced with a knife, 8 to 10 minutes. Let sit wrapped in parchment to complete the cooking process and until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, broth, vinegar, oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Peel the garlic cloves, mash completely and whisk into the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, make the vinaigrette with the microwave-roasted garlic up to a few hours in advance to allow the flavors to blend. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• Peel the beets using a paring knife and cut into wedges or slices. Arrange on a platter, drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the mint and pistachios. Serve immediately, while still warm.

BEETS WITH YOGURT

Steps:

• Cut the stems and leaves about 3/4 of an inch above the beets. To boil them, cook them in plenty of boiling salted water until tender-small ones will take about 30 minutes, larger ones about 1 1/2 hours. To roast them, put them on a sheet of foil on a baking sheet, cover them with foil, and roast in the oven at 400°F for 2 to 3 hours, depending on their size, until one feels tender when you cut right through with a pointed knife. You could cut them in half (lay them cut side down) and reduce the cooking time considerably.
• When cool enough to handle, peel and cut the beets into less than 1/2-inch-thick rounds or half-moon slices. Wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands.
• Beat the crushed garlic, if using, into the yogurt and spread the mixture on a serving plate. Arrange the beet slices on top. Beat the lemon juice with the oil and a little salt, stir in the chopped mint or parsley, and spoon over the beet slices.
• A Lebanese version uses 1 1/2 tablespoons tahina (see page 7) beaten into the yogurt. This, too, is delicious.

GOLDEN BEET AND BEET-GREENS SALAD WITH YOGURT, MINT AND DILL

Steps:

• Roast the beets: Put them in a baking dish in one layer (if some beets are larger, halve them so they will cook evenly). Add about 2 inches water to the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for at least an hour, or up to one and a half hours, until fork tender. Remove the foil, pour off the liquid and let cool for a few minutes, then peel while still slightly warm. Cut into wedges and set aside.
• Cut beet greens into 1-inch ribbons, then wash well 3 times in abundant cold water to remove any sand or grit. Bring a large pot salted water to boil. Add the greens and cook briefly till wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool under running water, then squeeze out excess water.
• In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant and just lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice mill.
• Make the vinaigrette: Put the onion, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes or so, then whisk in the remaining ingredients.
• Make the yogurt sauce: Put the yogurt in small bowl. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin-coriander mixture, mint and olive oil.
• Season the beet wedges lightly with salt and dress with half the vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, lightly salt the greens and dress with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange dressed beets and greens on a platter and top with a little smear of the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with dill, and pass the rest of the yogurt sauce at the table.

ROASTED BEETS WITH YOGURT, PISTACHIOS AND CORIANDER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the beets, halve them, then cut each half into 4 wedges. Toss the beets with 2 tablespoons oil and the ground coriander on a rimmed baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper and spread out in an even layer. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until almost fully tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium, shaking the skillet, until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Season the yogurt with salt and pepper and spread it on a platter. Add the remaining olive oil and the balsamic to the roasted beets and toss to coat; season. Arrange the beets and their juices over the yogurt. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and toasted coriander seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MEDITERRANEAN BEET AND YOGURT SALAD

Steps:

• Roast the beets, peel and cut in wedges or slice into half-moons. Stir together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the warm beets and allow to marinate for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
• Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle, add 1/8 teaspoon salt, and mash to a paste. Stir into the yogurt. Stir in half the dill. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the beets and stir some of the marinade into the yogurt (to taste). Toss with the beets, or arrange the beets on a platter and drizzle the yogurt over the top. Sprinkle on the remaining dill, and serve.