Chef's Table: Beet It
The Grocery chef Kevin Johnson transforms the common root vegetable with three recipes
f you associate beets with a childhood memory of purple cubes in a viscous sauce, it’s time to take the vegetable out of the can. “We’re talking about a very versatile root vegetable,” says Kevin Johnson, chef and owner of The Grocery restaurant. “Beets offer a sweetness that is a great contrast to the more bitter vegetables we have during the cooler months.”
Johnson creates a vibrant Valentine’s-worthy salad of baby beets, noting with a wink the vegetable’s “power as an aphrodisiac.” He combines roots and greens in a savory side dish enriched with sherry vinegar and blue cheese. And he gives beet soup a 180-degree spin, using golden beets instead of the customary red and centering the soup around a petite scallop salad.
The beets at The Grocery are local, coming from Rebellion, Ambrose, or Lowland farms. When buying, “small beets should have greens intact that look fresh enough to eat,” Johnson instructs. “If buying large beets without greens, they should be dense, heavy for their size, and without any holes or soft spots.”
DISHING IT UP WITH CHEF KEVIN JOHNSON
RESTAURANT: The Grocery
ACCOLADES: Garden & Gun’s John T. Edge listed The Grocery as one of the 2012 “Must Eats: New restaurants worth a stop.”
FIRST F&B GIG: “A vegan bakery, but I saw the light”
EDUCATION: Johnson & Wales University
FAVORITE LOCAL INGREDIENT: Field peas (crowder in particular), oysters, soft-shell crab, and corn
SECRET RECIPE/NAME A DISH OR RECIPE THAT YOU'LL TAKE TO THE GRAVE: I owe a lot of my success to the many people that have shared their knowledge with me - both those that I have worked for, worked for me and the peers that I continually collaborate with. I hold no secrets due to how much has been shared with me. Also, a recipe is only the starting point so I'm happy to share anything.
Raw Beet Salad with Citrus & Pistachios
1 Ruby Red grapefruit
2 navel oranges
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp. minced chives or scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. Champagne vinegar
2 tsp. minced fresh tarragon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 baby beets, no bigger than a Ping-Pong ball, preferably of varying colors
About 1/2 cup toasted pistachios, crushed
3 oz. ricotta salata cheese
2 big handfuls baby arugula
Peel the citrus fruit, removing any white pith. Supreme, or cut out the segments, reserving the membranes. Squeeze the juice from membranes into a bowl. Discard membranes. Combine the juice with the shallot, chives, garlic, vinegar, and tarragon. Whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Using a vegetable brush, scrub the beets clean with water. Shave them as thin as you can, preferably with a mandolin, maintaining whole slices. Place the slices in a bowl and gently dress them with just enough of the vinaigrette to coat them.
Cut citrus segments in half and arrange them on four salad plates. Scatter shaved beet slices on each, then some pistachios. Shave a few pieces of the cheese and place on top of each.
Dress arugula with the remaining vinaigrette and place a small amount on each plate. Serve immediately.
Roasted Beets & Their Greens
2 lbs. small beets with their greens intact and fresh like lettuce or chard
2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
2 Tbs. water
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
Pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of chili flakes
2 oz. blue cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Separate beets and their greens. Reserve the greens. Using a vegetable brush, scrub beets clean with water. Combine the beets, vinegar, water, two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper in an ovenproof container and cover. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until a knife pierced into a beet penetrates and comes out easily. Remove the beets from the container but reserve the juices. While the beets are warm, rub them with a dish or paper towel to remove their skin. (Note: disposable gloves come in handy when doing this.)
When ready to serve, wash, stem, dry, and cut the beet greens into bite-size pieces. Place the beets in an ovenproof serving dish. Toss them with some of the reserved cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven to heat through.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive in a large skillet. Add the shallot, garlic, and chili flakes and sauté for a few seconds, until fragrant. Add the greens and cook briefly, just until they begin to wilt. This will take 30 seconds to one minute depending on their thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the beets from oven and sprinkle with blue cheese. Top with the greens and serve immediately.
Golden Beet Soup with Salad of Scallop, Green Apple, & Horseradish
For the soup:
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. golden beets, root only, peeled and diced
Kosher salt
1 small yellow onion, cut in small dice
1 rib celery, cut in small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of saffron
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
3½ cups vegetable stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the beets. Season with a pinch of salt. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, covered, over low heat until the celery is tender and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the saffron, bay leaf, and thyme.
Add wine and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has completely evaporated, two to three minutes. Add the orange juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice has completely evaporated, two to three minutes. Add three cups of the stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until beets are very tender and falling apart, 30 to 45 minutes.
Working in batches if necessary, purée the soup in a blender until very smooth. Keep warm or chill until ready to use. You can add some of the extra half cup of stock if the soup seems too thick.
For the salad:
4 dry-pack scallops weighing about 1½ oz. each, cut in 1/8-inch dice
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut in 1/8-inch dice
1/2 tsp. horseradish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
2 small scallions, slivered
2 tsp. minced tarragon
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine scallops, apple, horseradish, lemon juice, olive oil, scallions, and tarragon in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, but no more than four.
To serve, heat soup. Ladle the hot soup into four warm bowls. Divide the scallop salad among the four bowls, placing it in the center of the bowl. Drizzle with oil and serve.
