Beet Tzatziki

by Hara Dretaki

This beautiful dip also makes a fine accompaniment to a lamb.

Ingredients

Elizabeth Cecil

Mix and season to your liking.

Cooking Beets How to Cook Beets

Beets can be boiled or steamed, baked, or roasted for a deeper, earthier flavor.

Cut the tops of the beets off about 2–3 inches from the beet. Wash off any mud or soil under cool running water using your hands. Leaving the top on and avoid damage to the skin helps keep the beets from bleeding out too much and makes them easier to hold and peel.

Put the beets in a saucepan and cover with cold water (optional: add a little salt and sugar) and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer until tender, 20–30 minutes depending on the beet size. Drain. When cool, cut off the roots and peel with your fingers.

Use a steamer basket, fill saucepan with 1 inch of water, cover, bring to a boil, and steam the beets until easily pierced with a thin knife, 30–45 minutes. Be careful not to let the pan run out of water. High heat melts the beets’ natural sugars and makes them taste sweeter and more flavorful.

Heat the oven to 400°F. Place washed, unpeeled beets in a small baking pan with an inch of hot water, cover the whole dish tightly with foil, and bake until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. The steam speeds the cooking. If you don’t like using foil, brush the beets with olive oil and roast them, omitting the water. Roast until tender, about 1–2 hours depending on their size. Cool slightly and remove skins

Heat oven to 350–400°F. Put beets into a roasting dish lined with a large piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Fold foil around the beets and seal completely shut. Roast for 25–30 minutes. Cooking times depend on freshness and size of the root.

After harvest, beets retain their integrity for three months if stored in optimum conditions. Cut off leaves and stems 1–2 inches above the root crown. Store in a plastic bag and refrigerate in the hydrator drawer

Baby beet greens are best used fresh or stored for couple of days in a damp cloth in a plastic bag. Use them only if they are fresh from your garden or the farmers’ market. When old and wilted, they are just not worth the effort. Wilted greens are an indication of the freshness of the beets. Rinse and cut the leaves and stalks in 1 inch pieces, cook them in a little boiling salted water, drain, and slather them with butter or extra virgin olive oil. Add some chili powder and some freshly chopped parsley and you are in for a whole lot of flavor.

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