Yoghurt and Beet Salad in the Persian Manner

By shayma • February 25, 2010 • 2 Comments

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Author Notes: This is a recipe which originates from Iran, it is called Borani-e-labu (labu are beets in Farsi). My grandmother used to steam the beets and then slice them right into the yoghurt, and voila, that magenta coloured yoghurt would appear. I was reading an article by Melissa Clark in the NYT (Jan 16, 2009) in which her friend peels and dices the beets, douses them with olive oil and roasts them in the oven. This method is lovely as the candy-like quality of the beet appears in less than a mere 40 minutes, perfectly tender. I use her concept for roasting. The rest is from my grandmum :) - shayma

Serves 4

glugs of good olive oil
2 medium sized beets, peeled and sliced thin about 1/8 of an inch
2 cups drained yoghurt, or make life simpler by purchasing thick Greek yoghurt or 'labneh' from a Middle Eastern store
1-2 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
sea salt

Pre-heat your oven to 375F.
In the meanwhile, peel and slice your beets, approximately 1/8th of an inch of thickness (about the thickness of 2 quarters).
Line roasting pan with foil, add beets (it's ok if they overlap), douse with olive oil and let them roast for approximately 35 minutes. Check after first 25 minutes for doneness.
Allow beets to cool for 10-15 minutes.
In 4 plates, slather spoons of the thick yoghurt in a circular pattern and arrange beets on top. Sprinkle with fresh mint and salt.
Drizzle olive oil on top and serve with crusty bread (or lavash, if you can find it) as a first course.
A Pinot Noir from Oregon would be one of our faves with this appetizer.