Maple Braised Beets With Hazelnut Relish Food

MAPLE-BRAISED BEETS WITH HAZELNUT RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a peeler to peel each beet; trim the top and bottom, and cut into 3-4 slices, approximately ¾-inch wide. In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add ⅓ of the beets in a single layer. Sprinkle with 2 pinches of salt and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the beets have browned on the first side, about 1-2 minutes. Flip the beets and brown the other side, then remove and place in a baking dish in a single layer. Wipe out the pan and repeat the process two more times.
• Once all the beets are in the baking dish, pour maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil over the beets. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until tender, 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, make the Hazelnut Relish.
• Hazelnut Relish, part 1: Cut the shallot in half through the root and discard the peel. Make vertical cuts, followed by horizontal cuts, without cutting through the root; finely dice. Place the diced shallot in a bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt to macerate (marinating the raw flavor out of the shallot), 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the hazelnuts.
• Hazelnut Relish, part 2: Toast the hazelnuts in a 350 F oven until fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Wrap warm hazelnuts in a kitchen towel, then rub with force until skins fall off. (Don't worry about skins that don't come off; they can stay.) Remove hazelnuts from towel and roughly chop. Set aside. Pick the leaves from the parsley and tarragon. Roll into a bundle; rock a knife back and forth through the bundle to roughly chop leaves. Set aside.
• After 45 minutes, remove beets from the oven; cool for 5-10 minutes. Check for doneness by poking them with a small knife; if it pierces the beets with little resistance, they're done. Remove beets from the braising liquid and transfer to a platter. Set aside. Pour the braising liquid into a pan. Over high heat, reduce to about ¼ of the original amount, 8-10 minutes; stay nearby, as the maple syrup can burn! When the liquid has reduced and thickened, remove pan from heat and spoon the syrup over the beets. While the beets finish cooling, occasionally toss them to ensure an even distribution of syrup. Allow the beets to absorb flavor until you're ready to assemble the dish.
• Hazelnut Relish, part 3: To the shallot-vinegar mixture, add the olive oil, hazelnuts, and herbs; stir to combine. Assembly: Arrange beets on a serving platter and top with ricotta. Sprinkle Hazelnut Relish all over the beets and serve.

BRAISED SPICED BEETS

Steps:

• Scrub beets and cut stems down to hardly there. Place in cooking pot, cover with water, and simmer until nearly tender (approximately 20 minutes). Remove from water, peel and quarter them.
• Heat butter in sturdy saucepan or skillet with lid. When melted, add beets and cook at medium for five minutes, tossing frequently so as to coat the beets with the butter.
• Add peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon.
• Add in sugar, stock, and salt to taste.
• Cook on low heat for approximately 15 more minutes, or until beets are tender, mixing occasionally.
• You can serve now, or reheat for later.

MAPLE BAKED BEETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Butter baking dish large enough to fit beets in single layer.
• Scrub beets and trim tops to 1 inch. Place beets in prepared dish and cover. Bake until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Transfer to colander and cool briefly under cold running water. When cool enough to handle, slip off skins. Slice 1/4" thick (about 3-1/2 cups).
• Heat 2 T. butter in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until somewhat tender but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet.
• Combine remaining 2 T. butter, the syrup, orange juice, mustard, orange zest, and pepper in same skillet. Heat over medium heat to boiling. Add beets and onions; cook, turning frequently with spatula, until syrup is absorbed and vegetables are glazed, about 4 minutes. Serve at once.

MAPLE GLAZED BEETS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the beets in a roasting pan.
• Dot with 1 tablespoon of margarine, and roast the beets, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• Melt the other 2 tablespoons of margarine in the microwave.
• Stir in the maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.
• Pour this mixture over the beets.
• Bake, covered, for another 30 minutes, or until the beets are tender and the sauce is thick.
• Sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve.

SPANISH OMELETTE (TORTILLA ESPAñOLA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a knife, peel the onion (discard onion skin in a bowl for easy clean-up), then remove both ends and cut in a medium dice. Heat a non-stick, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil followed by chopped onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir the onions occasionally as they cook.
• Slice the potato (leave peel on), then dice the same size as the onions (cut away and discard any blemishes on the potato). Set aside. Crack eggs into a bowl, whisk and set aside. When onions are lightly caramelized, remove from heat. Place a strainer over a bowl and strain the onions from the oil, reserving oil. Set onions aside. Place oil back into the pan, turn heat to high until oil is slightly smoking, 2-3 minutes (hot oil will keep the potatoes from sticking). Add potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until potatoes are soft and golden brown, 7-8 minutes (test for doneness by tasting one!).
• Strain potatoes from the oil, reserving oil. Add potatoes to the onions and keep the skillet warm over low heat (It's important to have no trace of onions or potatoes in the skillet or the omelette will stick). Stir beaten eggs into the potato onion mixture. Turn heat to high, add about 1 tablespoon of the oil back to the pan. When the oil begins to smoke, add egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula gently move the eggs around in the pan to distribute the heat. Turn heat to low and let the omelette set around the edges, 1-2 minutes. Transfer omelette to the oven. It will bake a total of 4-5 minutes. First, to set the eggs, 2- 2 ½ minutes.
• When the omelette is set all over, remove from the oven to flip and cook on the other side. Shake slightly to make sure it isn't sticking to the sides. Using a rubber spatula, gently remove the omelette from the skillet onto a plate. Cover with the other plate and flip over. Using a rubber spatula, gently place back into the pan, bottom-side up and back into the oven, about 2 more minutes.
• Remove omelette from oven. Using a rubber spatula, slide onto a plate. Serve.

PARMESAN CABBAGE SALAD WITH BUTTERY CROUTONS

Steps:

• Cabbage: Place savoy cabbage cut side down on a flat surface; remove core and discard. Thinly slice from top to bottom; place shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Repeat with red cabbage.
• Vinaigrette: Peel and finely dice the shallot. Add to a bowl, along with vinegar and Parmesan. Use pestle to muddle the cheese into the shallots; then let rest to macerate, 15 minutes. (Maceration is a method to soften the texture and flavor of the ingredients.) After the resting period, gently whisk in olive oil and cream to emulsify. Set aside.
• Salad: Slice the hard-boiled eggs, then chop; add to cabbage. Thinly slice cornichons; add to salad. Roughly chop almonds; add to salad. Add the buttery croutons.
• Briefly whisk the vinaigrette to re-emulsify, 10 seconds. Add a pinch of salt to the salad, then pour in the vinaigrette. Use your hands to gently toss the salad with the vinaigrette until the ingredients are evenly coated. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and finish with lots of freshly ground black pepper.

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

MAPLE PICKLED BEETS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Sterilize jars and lids
• Cook onions in a large pot of boiling water until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving cooking water. When cool enough to handle, trim root ends from onions, keeping onions intact, then slip off skins. Halve onions lengthwise.
• Add beets to water in pot and boil until almost tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, slip off stems and skins. Halve beets lengthwise (quarter if large).
• Bring vinegar, syrup, water, salt, star anise, and ginger to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan, then simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
• Drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel 1 minute, then invert. Fill jars with beets and onions. Remove star anise and ginger slices from pickling liquid and tuck 1 of each into side of each jar. Fill jars with pickling liquid, leaving 1/4 inch of space at top, then run a thin knife between vegetables and jar to eliminate air bubbles.
• Seal, process, and store filled jars, boiling beets and onions in jars 20 minutes.
• Let beets and onions stand in jars at least 1 week for flavors to develop.

BEET RELISH

Steps:

• Inspect 4 pint-sized jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse in simmering water until relish is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• Combine beets, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Stir water and gelatin together in a cup and add to the beets. Boil for 7 more minutes.
• Pack relish into hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top with lids and screw rings on tightly. Store in a cool place.