Beet Carpaccio with chive yogurt sauce
Ingredients
- 5 beets (any color)
- 6 oz. Greek yogurt
- 1.5 oz. chives
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- Croutons
- Garnish: Chopped parsley; 4 oz. roasted pumpkin seeds and chili oil
Homemade croutons
- 5 oz. day-old bread, cubed
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Individually wrap each beet in foil with a small drop of neutral oil on each. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
To remove beet skins: When beets are still warm, simply open the foil and use the edges of the foil to gently scrape the skins off. Once finished, place beets to the side to cool completely.
Step 2: Pickle the shallots
In a small pot, add vinegar, water and sugar. Bring to a boil to dissolve sugar and immediately pour over thinly sliced shallots. Allow shallots to cool to room temp before using.
Step 3: Make the croutons
Toss cubed bread in extra virgin olive oil, salt and a few pinches of dried basil and dried oregano. Ensure that all bread is evenly coated and transfer to a baking sheet.
Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes to prevent burning. Once the croutons are nicely toasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Step 4: Make the chive yogurt
In a food processor, place chives and a few drops of water (the water will help them blend into a paste rather than get chopped up). Add Greek yogurt and blend until fully mixed. Place the finished chive yogurt in the fridge until ready to use.
Step 5: Chop the pumpkin seeds
Clean out your food processor, then use the “pulse” to grind pumpkin seeds to desired consistency: crumbled but still loose and able to be sprinkled. Don’t grind too long or they’ll turn into pumpkin seed butter.
Step 6: Assemble!
Using a mandolin (or a knife), shave beets as thin as possible and set aside. On a plate, drop a large spoonful of chive yogurt in the center, and, using the back of your spoon, spread the yogurt out in a circular pattern nearly to the edges of the plate. Next, start placing the sliced beets over the yogurt.
Once the beets are placed, drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle the entire plate with the ground pumpkin seeds. Add croutons (I use about 10-12, but go with as many as you prefer), then scatter pickled shallots and garnish with chopped parsley.
This dish should be served chilled; ingredients can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated.