Curtis Stone’s Oven-Roasted Baby Beets with Orange Vinaigrette

The earthiness of beets provides a nice counterbalance or alternative to a traditional, sweet cranberry sauce, and the vinaigrette with orange brightens up the dish. The beets can be roasted and the vinaigrette prepared ahead so that you can pull together all the components once you pull your turkey out of the oven.

Oven Roasted Baby Beets with Orange Vinaigrette

(Makes 4 servings)

• 2 bunches baby red beets, scrubbed, stems trimmed
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups (not packed) baby arugula

Vinaigrette:

• 2 oranges
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

To roast beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place beets, thyme, garlic, and shallot in center of large piece of aluminum foil, then fold up sides of foil to form pouch, leaving open at top. Pour oil and water over the beets and season with salt and pepper. Roast beets for 25 to 30 minutes, or until small paring knife can be inserted into center of a beet with no resistance. Set aside to cool slightly.

To make vinaigrette: Into medium bowl, finely grate orange zest from 1 orange. Cut off tops and bottoms of 2 oranges. Using small sharp knife, cut away peel and white pith from oranges, following curve of oranges from top to bottom. Holding 1 orange in your hand and working over bowl, make 2 cuts along membranes on either side of segment, then lift segment out of membranes and drop it into bowl. Repeat to remove all segments from both oranges, and set segments aside. Squeeze membranes over bowl of orange zest to release 1 tablespoon of juice.

Whisk vinegar, shallot, and Dijon into bowl of orange zest and juice. Slowly add oil while whisking to blend completely. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve: Quarter beets and arrange them on center of platter with orange segments. Sprinkle arugula over. Drizzle vinaigrette over and serve.

Make-Ahead: The beets can be roasted and vinaigrette and orange segments prepared up to 8 hours ahead, covered separately and refrigerated. Let beets and vinaigrette stand at room temperature for 20 minutes and rewhisk vinaigrette before serving.

Per serving

• Calories: 196
• Total Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Sodium: 79 mg
• Carbohydrate: 22 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 2 g
• Diabetic Exchanges: 0.5 fruit, 2.5 vegetable, 2 fat

Credit: Recipe © Curtis Stone; photo by Ray Kachatorian

Simply Summer Recipes from Curtis Stone

In the Stone household, we use any excuse to bring great food and good friends together. I love to entertain and grill outdoors, especially during the summer months when fresh, locally grown produce is at its peak. By choosing the season’s best, you’re almost guaranteed a successful dish. And grilling enhances the flavors of so many fresh vegetables — from corn to zucchini to peppers.

A perfect main-course summer salad brimming with vegetables, Grilled Chicken with Arugula and Zucchini Salad and Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette is one of my favorite ways to put a healthy meal on the dinner table. I like the flavorful, earthy combination of chickpeas and quinoa in Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Feta, Walnuts, and Parsley. For dessert, toss halved nectarines, peaches, and plums on the grill for a few minutes and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey — just delicious!

 

Grilled Chicken with Arugula and Zucchini Salad and Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette

(Makes 4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped drained nonpareil capers
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pepperoncini
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 ounces baby arugula (about 8 cups not packed)
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 small, thin zucchini

To make vinaigrette: In medium bowl, whisk shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, pepperoncini, parsley, and vinegar together. Gradually whisk in extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To cook chicken: Preheat grill for medium-­high heat. Coat chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and grill marks form. Transfer to cutting board.

To assemble salad: In large bowl, combine arugula and tomatoes. Trim ends of zucchini. One at a time, lay zucchini flat on work surface and, using vegetable peeler and working from stem end to blossom end, shave off long, thin ribbons until you reach seedy center. Turn zucchini around and repeat on second side, then repeat on third and fourth sides. Add ribbons to bowl and discard seedy centers of zucchini.

Using your hands to avoid breaking ribbons, gently toss salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut each chicken breast crosswise into thirds. Transfer a cut chicken breast to each dinner plate and heap some salad alongside. Drizzle chicken and salad with remaining vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Make-Ahead: The vinaigrette can be made up to 8 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Let vinaigrette stand at room temperature for 15 minutes and re-whisk before using.

Per serving

• Calories: 342
• Total Fat: 21 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Sodium: 563 mg
• Carbohydrate: 7 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 32 g
• Diabetic Exchanges: 6 meat, 3 fat, 3 vegetable

 

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Feta, Walnuts, and Parsley

(Makes 4 servings)

• 1 cup quinoa (preferably red quinoa)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Put quinoa in fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water. Set aside to drain well. Heat medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil and quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until quinoa is fragrant and toasted. Add 1 ½ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed. Spread quinoa on baking sheet and let cool, then fluff with fork. Meanwhile, to make vinaigrette: In small bowl, whisk shallots, vinegar, and lemon juice. Gradually whisk in oil.

In large bowl, combine cooled ­quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, bell peppers, walnuts, green onions, and parsley. Toss with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to large platter or divide among four plates. Sprinkle with feta and serve.

Make-Ahead: Quinoa can be cooked up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated.

Per serving

• Calories: 476
• Total Fat: 26 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Sodium: 288 mg
• Carbohydrate: 48 g
• Fiber: 10 g
• Protein: 16 g
• Diabetic Exchanges: 5 fat, 4 starches, 1 meat

Excerpted from What’s for Dinner? by Curtis Stone. Copyright © 2013 by Curtis Stone. Excerpted by permission of Ballantine Books, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher; photo by Quentin Bacon. 

This article is from the July/August 2017 issue of the Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

Also see Curtis Stone’s Cool-down Recipes for Summer.