Autumn it is – Red Beetroot Tartare With Goat’s Cheese, Capers, Diced Toast and Thyme
I’m writing this sitting on a train on my way to Milan, the early morning darkness has given way to pale blue skies and pink clouds. I’m going to Milan to shoot a calendar for 2013, a food related one and if there is something that is truly seasonal and calendaric, it is food. Or it should be although now we can get most of what we want when we want. I am all for eating seasonal (though I find that sometimes it goes to far, it somehow has become a vehicle for political correctness) because seasonal food is nicer and I love that each season has something that I can look forward to eating. But I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t tell you that I buy frozen vegetables and fresh fruit and vegetables out of the season, I can’t slice a canned tomato to put on my breakfast bread, can I? just to mention one of my sins! But on the whole I try to cook seasonally. On the other hand, as a food photographer I am happy that I can find food out of season because that is a profession where you live at least three months in advance if not more. If you can’t find them fresh, at least you can find them frozen and when you need wild strawberries in January, you fervently thank the person who invented the freezer! It is not easy to walk on that narrow path of righteousness…
This dish is quite autumnal but it depends on where you live because here in Italy you find red beetroots much earlier than in Sweden for example but as the Swede I am, to me it is a autumn and winter vegetable. If you have the time you boil the beetroots yourself, if not you can often find cooked ones in the shops. I made a red beetroot tartare to post here but later I also made a really nice salad with the same ingredients, only adding thinly sliced celery sticks and some extra-virgin olive oil to it all. It was deliciuos!
RED BEETROOT TARTARE WITH GOAT’S CHEESE, CAPERS, DICED TOAST AND THYME
1 serving
150 g/ 5.1 ounce cooked and chopped red beetroot
lemonjuice
2-3 tbsp diced soft, mild goat’s cheese
2 tsp capers, I suggest the ones in vinegar
2-3tbsp thin slices of toast cut into smalldice
fresh thyme
salt
Mix the choppped beetroot with a little salt and a few drops of lemon juice. I took a round cookie cutter to create the actual tartare, packing the beetroot into the cutter while it was on a plate and then carefully removed it, but you can also make a small pile with the chopped beetroot.
Sprinkle the thyme over the tartare, distribute capers, cheese and toast the way you like it and enjoy!
I adore beetroots.
Seasonal food: how it change moving from one country to another. Even from one Italian region to another one. I’m still used to Friulian seasons despite being in Rome for almost a decade.
Ilva, these are absolutely stunning photos, maybe my favorite so far. Amazing. I am blown away. And a lovely little meal, too. xo I loved discovering the seasonal fruits and vegetables when we lived year round in Italy. I learned to see and experience food in a whole new way.
This is wonderful. Enjoyed the recipe and photos.
I’m never 100% sure whether I like beetroot or not – it’s definitely an acquired taste – but looking at these photos I want to dive straight in. Beautiful!
I love that it mimics beef tartare. It would be a great vegetarian alternative if serving a beef tartare and had a vegetarian guest
Beautiful! Fantastic presentation, I wish my husband was not the anti-beet par excellence! I might have to make this one just for me, though…
OOh I love recipes like this. Adore beetroot and so perfect for a dinner party! Love the red of the beetroot! I love shooting calendars too have a ball in Milan!
Diced toast??? Is that CROUTONS?
yes, I call it diced toast because there is no oil or fat in them, just toasted bread.
Do you realize what an incredibly romantic sentence that first one is?
Love the beet root.