A couple of months ago a friend took me to lunch at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant here in New York City. The abcV a Jean-Georges restaurant, and like all his restaurants, doesn’t miss its target. As you know I don’t like vegetables, and the last thing I would do is go to a vegetarian restaurant. My friend has food issues, so I was happy to comply with her choice. She, knowing me was lovely and chose this wonderful restaurant, and although there was the possibility of farm fresh eggs, I asked her to choose our meal. Her favorite and mine as well was the Beet Tartare with avocado cream. A traditional Beef Tartare has the following ingredients: capers, onions, parsley, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. The Beets were just fabulous, and I honestly never eat Beef Tartare because I am not a fan of raw meat. The flavor of the beets was just unbelievable, and I wanted to make it at home. The tartare was served with a thick creamy avocado sauce, so I have added that here as well.
Beet Tartare
Serves 6 – 8 people as a side dish or can be served with crackers as an appetizer
Preparation: 60 – 90 minutes, can be done in stages and mixed at the last minute
4 medium sized Beets
1 Tsp. Capers
2 Tbsp diced Shallots
2 Tbsp diced Scallion
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Parsley
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp. White Wine Vinegar
1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce, or Pickapeppa Sauce (Jamaican sauce)
2 Tsp. extra-virgin Olive Oil + 2 Tsp. to roast the beets
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Wash carefully and dry the beets. I prefer golden beets to the red. Or you could mix the two, although the red will change the color of the other ingredients, so prepare separately and mix in the red right before serving. Place the beets – minus the tops - in a baking pan covered in foil. Pour 2 Tsp. of olive oil over the beets and season with a little oil and pepper, rubbing on all sides. Wrap in the foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. If the beets are not uniform, the larger beets will take longer so taste with a skewer. Remove from oven when ready, uncover and allow to cool. This step can be made even a couple of days ahead of time.
In a mixing bowl, place the capers, red onions, shallots, scallion, and parsley. Dice as small as you like the beets and add to the bowl. Remember if you are using both red and golden to add the red in at the last minute as it will change the color of the golden beets. Or you can just use red beets. For the dressing combine well the Dijon mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire or Pickapeppa sauce and the rest of the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. This could be made before and refrigerated, just remember to bring to room temperature and make sure that it is well combined. When ready add the dressing and toss your tartare.
Note: I like to serve this as a side dish, and it is easily doubled if necessary. It could also be served as an appetizer with crackers, toasted bread or even on endives or lettuce cups.
If you wish to make the avocado sauce here is what I do:
1 small avocado, ripe
2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
½ lime juice
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped very fine
1/8 cup mint, chopped very fine
Hot Pepper flakes, (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and mix well with all the ingredients. You could do this in a blender, but I like it done with a fork as it is more rustic. Add more lime juice if you like and a dash or two of hot pepper flakes if desired.
If serving as an appetizer you can spread the avocado sauce on the crackers or toast before covering with the Beet Tartare. To avoid the crackers or toast getting soggy, place them on a tray and fill separate small dishes with the avocado cream and the Beet Tartare and your guests can serve themselves. You can also fill the endives or lettuce cups with the sauce and top with the Tartare.
