We started with the tastiest beet ever. Instead of steaming the beets, this time we pressure cooked them for 45 minutes. We have found that beets, especially when they are to be dehydrated, should be well cooked. Once the beets had finished cooking and cooled to room temperature we peeled them and dehydrated them for 12 hours. The exterior became dry and leathery. The inside was semi-soft. We put the still warm beets into a zip top bag and closed it. The residual heat generates steam, which softens the chewy skin that formed on the outside of the vegetable.
As we pulled the beets out of the bag to begin working with them we were struck by the difference between the outer skin and the interior. What if we made the inside even softer? We would have a beet ravioli. We gently massaged the beets with our fingers, breaking up the rest of the insides so the beet felt like a weird stress ball. With the beet ravioli in hand we still felt somewhat incomplete. We felt sure that we could fill it with with something delicious to complement the flavor of the beet.
We seasoned vanilla yogurt with 0.5% salt and filled a large syringe. Then we poked a small hole in the beet and injected the yogurt. The beet filled up like a water balloon. We removed the syringe and wiped the injection point clean. We patted it dry. We placed the beet on a plate, sprinkled on Murray River salt, and then spooned Concord Concentr8 over the top. With a knife and fork we popped the balloon and indulged.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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