This is a recipe from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.” In his notes he says, “Beets, like carrots, can be eaten raw. And they’re delicious that way, crunchy and sweet. So sweet, in fact, that they need a strongly acidic dressing like this one for balance.”
If you don’t have shallot, finely dice a little bit of the yellow-skinned onion in today’s box.
Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds beets, preferably small 2 large shallots Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons sherry or other good strong vinegar 1 sprig fresh tarragon, minced, if available 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
Preparation:
Peel the beets and shallots. Combine them in a food processor and pulse carefully until the beets are shredded; do not purée. (Or grate the beets by hand and mince the shallots, then combine.) Scrape into a bowl.
Toss with the salt, pepper, mustard, oil and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss in the herbs and serve.
Variations:
Raw Beet Salad with Cabbage and Orange. Quite nice-looking: Use equal parts beet and cabbage, about 8 ounces of each. Shred the beets (with the shallot) as directed; shred the cabbage by hand or by using the slicing disk of the food processor. Add 1 navel orange (including its juice), peeled and roughly chopped.
Raw Beet Salad with Carrot and Ginger. Ginger and beets are killer together: Use equal parts beet and carrot, about 8 ounces of each. Treat the carrots as you do the beets (you can process them together), adding about a tablespoon of minced peeled ginger to the mix; omit the tarragon. Substitute peanut for olive oil, lime juice for sherry vinegar, and cilantro for parsley.
Raw Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing. Creamy: Replace the olive oil and one of the tablespoons of vinegar with 2 tablespoons plain yogurt, preferably whole-milk or low-fat.