Roasted Beet Purée

Brightened With Roasted Tomatoes

• Servings: Makes about 4 cups of purée.

This recipe combines roasted beets with the bright flavor of oven roasted tomatoes and a shot of fresh orange juice.

We use Thomas Keller's method from his Bouchon cookbook for roasting beets wrapped in foil and cooked in a hot oven.  The result is a gorgeous deep purple purée that is a flavorful companion to almost any meat, poultry or fish.

The purée can be made in advance and re-heated just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 pound plum tomatoes, each cut in half
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 pound trimmed medium red beets (about 4 1/2 pounds with greens)
• 4 teaspoons fresh orange juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Toss tomatoes with 1 teaspoon salt, about 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and spread in a single layer. I like to place them cut side up so that the skin caramelizes a bit when the tomatoes cook.
3. Scrub the beets and trim off any long roots or stems but do not peel.
4. Create a package to hold the beets using one or two lengths of aluminum foil. Place the washed beets in the package, adding 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon water, and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
5. Seal the foil package (this helps the beets steam as well as roast) and place it on a second baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan (sometimes the foil package will leak so you don't want to put it directly on your oven rack or on the same sheet as the tomatoes).
6. Put both the tomatoes and beets in the oven and roast until beets are tender -- about 45 to 50 minutes. The tomatoes will have caramelized a bit, getting brown, and the juices will have cooked off leaving the tomatoes somewhat reduced and intensified in flavor.
7. Using your fingers, remove and discard the peels from the tomatoes because when you puree them, they'll leave tiny specs of peel in the purée even if your processor is perfectly razor sharp. It's okay if a few pieces of skin remain.
8. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets.
9. Separately purée the tomatoes and beets in a food processor until each is completely smooth. Then combine in a large bowl.
10. Stir in orange juice, adding a teaspoon at a time and taste before adding more. Adjust flavor for salt and pepper.

Tip:  This purée would make a wonderful filling for a home-made ravioli.

Tip:  You can turn this purée into a quick beet soup by diluting it with some good quality chicken stock.