The yogurt nicely balances the sweetness of the beets in this salad. The last time we made it, we replaced the garlic clove with scapes and the lemon juice with lime juice. This recipe is adapted from
New Persian Cooking: A Fresh Approach to the Classic Cuisine of Iran by
Jila Dana-Haeri and Shahrzad Ghorashian.
Serves 4
Some beets (up to 1 lb)
1 small clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts
1 1/4 c. Greek-style thick yogurt
1/2 to 1 tsp dried mint
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
Salt and pepper
Scrub the beets but do not cut them. Put the whole beets in a pot of water and boil until the beets are tender, which may take 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how big they are. Keep a slotted spoon handy to fish out the smaller, faster-cooking beets when they are done. Put the cooked beets in a colander and run cold water over them, rubbing off the skins as you do so. Trim the beets and grate them, or cut them into small pieces (beware, cooked beets are slippery).
In a bowl, combine the beets with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Chill for about an hour before serving. Enjoy.
