Enjoy the last of the season’s beets with these chef recipes

With the season for beets starting in summer and extending right the way up to late fall, we are now in a period when the last of the beets are available at our farmers’ markets. Fresh bets are such a beautiful and versatile vegetable and can be used in so many different ways. And with a distinctive earthy, sweet, fruity taste they have the flavor profile to work in almost any part of a meal, as a side, a main, or as a dessert. Take a look at this beet recipe round-up below.

Beet tartare with crunchy radishes by Zineb Hattab

This recipe from Zineb Hattab, chef and owner of the vegan fine-dining restaurant Kle in Zurich, Switzerland, is a dish that celebrates all the natural fresh flavor of beets. Hattab is a global star of plant-based cooking so this is one of the most elegant and assured treatments of the beet you'll see. Vegan mayo, lemon zest, and crunchy radishes add depth of flavor and texture. Delicious.

This recipe is similar to hummus in that it calls for tahini, but this is a Middle Eastern mutabal, a dip made with eggplant, but this time with beets.

Beetroot tostada by Santiago Lastra

This recipe is from one of London's hottest restaurants, Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant Kol, by chef Santiago Lastra. Surprisingly easy to make, although employing some fermentation techniques, this is a sophisticated and innovative plant-based alternative to meat tostadas from one of London's brightest gastronomic lights.

Mexican participant in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition, Cynthia Xrysw Ruelas Diaz, presents her favorite and traditional, yet little-known mole, 'mole rosa y betabel.' Diaz says that both the choice of ingredients and cooking techniques reflect the history of her country, pre and post-colonization, and the dish is a means of preserving native ingredients and techniques while looking to the future.

Spaghetti cooked in beet juice by Michael Tusk

Chef Michael Tusk shares a deeply luxurious and silky spaghetti cooked in beet juice with vodka, yuzu, and osetra caviar. Colorful and flavorful, it's easy to make but will impress your dinner guests with a range of different flavors harmonizing perfectly. 

The steak that wanted to be a beetroot by Rasmus Kofoed

Danish chef Rasmus Kofoed—chef and partner at Geranium, the former best restaurant in the world—shares this beets recipe from the menu at Angelika, his entirely plant-based restaurant.

Fermented beets

Ferment your extra beets for a delicious, healthy, zingy snack to add to salads or cold dishes for the rest of the year. It is a simple method for fermentation that is great for anyone starting their fermentation journey.