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Goat cheese and beets go together like Roy Rogers and Trigger.  Add in a flavorful crunch from some salted pistachios and a big flavor pop with some shies leaves, and you have a wow of a first course. It also all works nicely as an appetizer on a crostini. Make sure the ingredients are made with love!  I live about two miles from a goat farm called Valley View Farmstead in Topsfield, MA. They make a delicious chevre. The beets are from my CSA share from Green Meadow Farms in Hamilton, and the shiso leaves are from Reliable Market in Somerville.

Ingredients

•1 lb. red beets and 1 lb. yellow beets, scrubbed well

•4 oz. Valley View Chevre

•1/2 c. coarsely chopped salted pistachios

•bunch of shiso leaves

•vinaigrette

•kosher salt

•freshly ground black and white pepper

 

Preparation

•Put red and yellow beets in separate oven proof pans with 1/4 inch of water

•Salt beets

•Cover with foil and roast at 350 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a knife passes through easily

•Let cool completely

•Rub skin off using paper towels

•Cut off stems and roots

•Cut beets in wheels or wedges, or dice, whichever you prefer

•Chiffonade the shiso leaves

 

Presentation

•Arrange the red and yellow beets on a plate

•Crumble the chevre over the beets, then sprinkle with the shiso and the pistachios

•Finish by drizzling the vinaigrette, and adding salt and pepper

Enjoy!

 

Jimmy Smith is the founder, co-owner, and VP of Love Catering, Inc. in Los Angeles, a full-service catering company to to the stars…and their hanger’s-on. For the past seven years, he has been a stay-at-home Dad and short-order cook for his partner and their seven year-old triplets here in Topsfield, MA. Yes, triplets…