Beets Three Ways

By Israel Rivera, owner and executive chef at The Shop Breakfast & Lunch

Beets are the perfect vegetarian comfort food. They love cool weather, so they’re a good crop in spring and fall (and they usually last through the winter too). These three recipes prove that beets can hit more notes than they usually get credit for. As a bonus, they can all riff off one another; you can pickle any leftover braised beets, and you can use the leftover braising liquid to make a delicious vinaigrette.

Maple-Braised Beets

• About 6 beets (enough to fill a 2-quart, 8×8-inch pan or baking dish)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the green tops and bottoms off the beets so that they stand upright in a baking dish. Add maple syrup, red wine, and apple cider vinegar. Add salt and enough water so that the beets are about 80 percent covered by the braising liquid. Roast, uncovered, until soft (about 2–3 hours).

Peel skins off beets while still warm; don’t burn yourself. Chop into small squares or slice into disks, depending on how you are using them. (At The Shop, we use these in our beet salad as well as our veggie mac and cheese. If this recipe makes more beets than you can use in the next few days, you can always pickle the leftovers using the brine; see below.)

Pickled Beets

• 3 braised beets, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup vinegar (any will do)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon each toasted mustard seed, coriander, and black peppercorns

Pack a 12-ounce jar with prepared beets. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then pour over veggies and refrigerate. They will be ready to eat the next day. Eat these straight out of the jar, add them to a pickle plate, pair them with goat cheese and watercress on a sandwich—the list goes on. And if you don’t feel like braising beets, you can make these pickles with boiled beets; just boil for fifteen minutes, slice thin, and proceed with the recipe.

Beet Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup braising liquid from the Maple-Braised Beets above
• 1/2 tablespoon dijon or whole grain mustard
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 shallot, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• About 1 cup olive oil

In a blender, add all ingredients except oil and blend well. While the blender is running, drizzle in olive oil until fully emulsified and the balance of flavors and thickness is to your liking. Use this vinaigrette for all the lovely springtime greens!