Iron Chef - Beets!!!

Wow, I'm posting way later than usual. In my defense, I have been experimenting in the kitchen a good portion of the day. Even better, some of my BFF's came by to hang out this afternoon. The were willing subjects of my latest round of cooking experiments. If that wasn't enough to make my day, my friend Potato, brought over a beautiful bottle of red that she has been saving since my birthday last year. After the first bottle I thought it was only fitting to bring out one we'd had in the wine cooler for 4 years. We agreed that the company was certainly special enough to bring out the special bottles and a great time was had by all.

I got a new kitchen toy yesterday. In preparation for my next dinner party/cooking class at Hackett House, I have been toying around with ideas for plating the entree. Thinly sliced beautiful beets have been invading my dreams. I talked Fred into going over to Sur la Table to look at mandolins. A very nice gentleman was hunting down parts to demo the $200 version when another customer told me the best one was sitting in an unassuming box on one of the shelves nearby for only $65.00. Yippee! 

I bought some lovely red and golden beets, this week's iron chef ingredient. I just wasn't feeling the creative vibe in the kitchen today at all. So, I'm hanging out in the kitchen with my sister hoping something will kick in and inspire some beet love. I'm just standing there like a big dope and I see a little iron skillet sitting on the stove. Then it hits me! I'm going to use that iron skillet and my new mandolin (which by the way makes the most beautiful thin cuts I've ever done in my life) and make a beet gratin. It still needs a little tweaking, so I am not posting an exact recipe yet. But it has great potential to be a stunning dish.

I used the mandolin to make super thin slices for yukon golds, red and golden beets. In between I sprinkled on some granulated garlic, toasted granulated onion (thank you Penzey's spices), a touch of rosemary and some Daiya Mozz. Oh and of course lots of olive oil. As I suspected the red beets permeated the color of the entire dish. We all agreed that while it was a gallant effort, the recipe needs a little work: perhaps a little more spice and I think a few more layers. But I love the idea of the dish and look forward to perfecting it in the near future.

It was so shiny, it almost looked like it had aspic on it. 

Oh yes, let us not forget the giveaway of The Sexy Vegan Cookbook. Thanks to all of you who commented. Out of fairness, the folks who commented before the deadline of midnight 10/6/12 MST were eligible.

The winner is...

 #4 Cabby!!!

Congrats! Please email me your shipping information to receive your sexy book!

Agave Sweetened Pickled Beets

I got some beautiful Chioggia beets from Stella at Horny Toad Farms a couple of weeks ago. They are just gorgeous. Look at those rings of goodness. These are pictured right after steaming.

In hind sight I should have left well enough alone, but I had it in my head that I wanted to make Fred some pickled beets. He buys lots of pickled goodies from the farmers' market. It's good stuff, but holy wow is it expensive. So I thought if I could come up with a good recipe, I could save him some hard earned cash.

This recipe is not one to be saved in the pantry as it is not pressure cooked. It is a refrigerated version that will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. I decided to try agave nectar to lower the glycemic hit a bit. Fred gave them his seal of approval...with a caveat that they are a little vinegary. Just warning you ahead of time, these are not sticky sweet beets. I used the Chioggia in the first batch and beautiful rings faded, so I recommend using single colored beets for pickling and save these beauties for steaming.

Agave Sweetened Pickled Beets

Makes about 1 quart

1 1/4 pounds beets, about 3-4 cups after slicing

2 large shallots, halved and sliced thin

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup water

2/3 cup agave nectar

2 cinnamon sticks

Wash beets. Cut off leaves if still intact. In a steamer, steam beets until soft enough to pierce with a fork easily. Let cool until cool enough to handle. Peel beets and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place sliced beets, sliced shallots and cinnamon sticks in cleaned and sanitized quart canning jar. 

In a saucepan combine vinegars, water and agave nectar. Bring to a boil. Pour liquid into jar. While it is still hot, seal with new clean and sanitized canning lid. Let cool to room temperature. Place in fridge. Let sit for at least three days. They should keep for a few weeks.