epicurious4.2
Glazed Torn Beets With Pistachio Butter & Mint
Roasted beets harmonize with rich pistachio butter in this autumnal recipe from cookbook author Nisha Vora. A flurry of mint adds freshness at the end.
👥 3 Servings👤 Nisha Vora📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●whisk
- ●blender
- ●food processor
- ●spatula
- ●oven
- ●pan
- ●baking dish
- ●saucepan
- ●skillet
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Glaze
2
In a small bowl, whisk together 2½ Tbsp. pure maple syrup, 1½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar, 1½ tsp. apple cider vinegar, ⅛–¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and several cracks of freshly ground black pepper. Add 2 Tbsp. of water, stir, and set aside.
½ Tbsp. pure maple syrup2(13.5 ounces/390 g) raw, unsalted shelled pistachios3 cups½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard1. aged balsamic vinegar1 Tbsp½ tsp. apple cider vinegar1. kosher salt1 tspKosher saltFreshly ground black pepper
3
Pistachio Butter
4
Roast 3 cups (390 g) raw, unsalted shelled pistachios at 350º until lightly browned and fragrant, 8 to ⏱️ 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before blending.
5
Blender option: Add the pistachios to a high-powered blender. Start on low speed, then work your way up to high, using a tamper or a spatula to push down the nuts as the blender churns. As the machine heats up, take breaks to avoid overheating. Once the nuts look like almond flour, use a spoon to get underneath the blades to loosen any stuck pistachio butter or dump it out into a bowl, then add it back to the blender. Keep blending. The mixture will turn into a paste, then eventually into a thick but liquidy nut butter. Once you reach this stage, add the ½ heaping tsp. fine sea salt and blend again until super smooth and somewhat pourable. Taste, adding more salt as needed. This process will take 10–⏱️ 20 minutes, depending on your blender strength and age. Reserve until ready to use. Food processor option: Add the pistachios to a food processor. Blend, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom every minute. If your machine heats up, take breaks. After a few minutes, the pistachios will form a ball, but just keep going and the machine will break it up. Keep blending until it’s smooth, creamy, and the consistency of a thick nut butter. Add ½ heaping tsp. fine sea salt and blend to incorporate. This process should take 6–⏱️ 10 minutes. Reserve until ready to use. Do Ahead: Store the pistachio butter in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.
6
Beets and Assembly
7
Preheat the oven to 425°. Trim any beet greens and most of their attached stalks (leave some stalk intact to prevent the beets from “bleeding” in the oven) from 1½–2 pounds (680–910 g) medium red or golden beets (about 6 beets). To keep the beets juicy, do not trim any skinny beet tails. Wash and scrub the beets well.
(13.5 ounces/390 g) raw, unsalted shelled pistachios3 cups½–2 pounds (680–910 g) medium red or golden beets (about 6 beets)1
8
Rub the beets with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil so they have a thin coating and transfer to a baking dish or ovenproof pan with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in 1 cup water and cover tightly with foil (or the lid). Roast for 45–⏱️ 60 minutes, until fork-tender (medium beets usually take ⏱️ 60 minutes; smaller beets, ⏱️ 45 minutes).
9
Meanwhile, make the lentils (if using). Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and season with several pinches of salt. Add ½ cup (100 g) French green lentils or black beluga lentils and cook at a decent simmer until tender but still a bit al dente, 17–⏱️ 20 minutes. Drain well and set aside to dry off.
10
When the beets are cool enough to touch, run them under cool water and peel off the skins (wear food-safe gloves if you don’t want pink hands for a few hours). Cut off any stems and tough bottoms. Use your hands to tear the beets into roughly 1" pieces.
11
In a 12" skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the torn beets and cook undisturbed for ⏱️ 2 minutes. Flip and cook until nicely charred in spots, turning only every ⏱️ 2 minutes, 6–8 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the reserved glaze (stand back to avoid splatter). Return the pan to medium heat. Cook, gently stirring the beets into the glaze, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2–⏱️ 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for ⏱️ 5 minutes.
(13.5 ounces/390 g) raw, unsalted shelled pistachios3 cups. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting2 Tbsp
12
To serve, schmear the reserved pistachio butter on a large serving plate. Spoon the glazed beets on top, adding the reserved glaze if desired. If adding lentils, spoon them around the plate. Garnish with ½ cup (8 g) fresh mint leaves, chopped and season with a bit of flaky sea salt and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.
(13.5 ounces/390 g) raw, unsalted shelled pistachios3 cupsFlaky sea saltA few squeezes of fresh lemon juice
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