Pizza Today - February 2020 - 37
I
'll never forget the pizzeria
that went all-in on beets with
its CSA Pizza. Galactic Pizza
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
featured a beet puree-based
pizza that was so vibrantly
colorful and unique that it
popped out from four other
pizzas on the table. Did I
mention it was delicious? It was. The
pizza was topped with roasted carrots,
red onion, goat cheese, dill, honey and
extra-virgin olive oil.
Before that visit a few years ago, I had
only noticed beets sprinkled onto salad
menus. Lately, beets have caught on and
have crossed over to the pizza menu,
thanks to adventurous diners and curious
pizza makers looking for innovative ways
to showcase this earthy vegetable.
Beets (also known as beetroot)
are cultivated varieties of Beta
Vularis. Roots and greens are
edible and loaded with nutrients.
There are dozens of varieties, but let's
hit on a few that you may come across
in your area. There are the common
garden beets (also called table beets or
beetroot). One of the most recognized
of the reds are the Detroit Dark Reds,
deep in color and sweet in flavor. If you
are looking for pop, try chioggia (which
have a distinctive red- and white-striped
interior). These "candy cane" beets are
a sweet Italian variety and very popular
among chefs - as are golden and white
beets.
If your specialty, vegetarian or vegan
game is strong, it's time to experiment
with beets in your kitchen.
The first order of business is fresh beet
prep. If you're not careful, your prep line
will look like something from a crime
scene. Beet juice stains. In fact, it does
such a proficient job at it that beets are
used in food coloring and dyes. Protect
your hands and surfaces. Of course,
you can avoid the mess altogether by
choosing the white or gold varieties, like
sugar or golden beets. But then you will
miss out on the presentation of those
bold and vivid deep red beets.
Beets can be incorporated cooked or
uncooked. If using uncooked beets, they
will have a more pronounced earthy and
bitter flavor so you'll need to balance
that. The benefit is that they will have a
nice crunch if that is your intention. One
of the best methods to use raw beets is
pickling, which will allow you to enhance
the flavor profile and create a beautiful
finishing ingredient. When incorporating
pickled beets, expect some pink juice to
leach out onto nearby ingredients.
There are several dynamite
cooking methods for beets, depending on your application. Slow
or fast roasting is one of the best ways
to keep the color of beets, while losing
the liquid. One of the not-so-secret best
ways to add flavor to beets is to marinate
them before roasting. Vinegars, juices,
herbs and spices can really elevate the
beet as a pizza topping. Try honey, apple
cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
You can roast the whole beet then peel
and slice it, or vise versa. Roast beets
with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, like
thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, fennel or basil.
You can even slice beets super thin and
season with garlic powder, ground fennel
seed, chili, olive oil, apple cider vinegar
and liquid smoke and fast roast to create
a beet "pepperoni." Thinly sliced beets
can also be turned into beet chips. Tip:
Use different color varieties to make the
chips really shine.
Other cooking methods to experiment
with are steaming, boiling and frying.
Play with the methods to see which
works better for your beet pizza.
Since the flavor profile of beets is
sweet, earthy and a bit bitter, you'll need
bright and fresh ingredients. Goat cheese
is often one of the first ingredients that is
paired with beets. It's a classic pairing, so
let's look at a few combinations to use on
your menu.
On the starters lineup, a beet, crushed
walnut, goat cheese and hot honey
crostini provides a fresh and sweet
alternative to bruschetta.
Here are some ideas for white pizzas:
* Caramelized beets and onion with
goat cheese
* Micro greens, feta, pickled beets and
sliced beefsteak tomatoes
* Roasted beets and carrots with kale,
fresh mozzarella and a balsamic drizzle
You can even make a pesto using beets.
You will have to run a few trials applying
the pesto in various ways. You can use
it as a base, but the pesto may present
better as dollops on a white cheese pizza
finished with arugula, shaved Parmesan
and a balsamic drizzle.
If you want to go even further with
culinary beet creations, try developing
a beet veggie burger. Or, this month is
Valentine's Day - beet-infused dough
turns this holiday pink.
Sweet Beet Pizza
1 9- to 12-ounce dough ball
¾ cup roasted beets (see recipe below)
4 tablespoons fig jam
6 slices whole-milk mozzarella
½ cup arugula
4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Shaved Parmesan
Extra-virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons fig jam with ½ to 1 tablespoon
of water to get a syrup consistency.
Set aside as a finishing ingredient.
Stretch dough to desired size. Drizzle
olive oil and spread over entire dough
skin. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons
fig jam, then add mozzarella slices,
leaving 1/8-inch border around edge.
Halfway through bake, remove pizza,
add roasted beets evenly and return to
oven. Bake until golden. Take the pizza
out of the oven and slice. Then top
in the following order: arugula, goat
cheese, shaved Parmesan and a drizzle
of the fig jam syrup.
Herb-roasted Beets
2 beets
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
Zest of 1 orange
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Peel beets and cut into ½-inch
wedges. In a large ball, combine all
ingredients and mix to coat beets
evenly. Transfer beets to a sheet pan
and bake until tender and edges are
browned. Set aside for pizza. n
DENISE GREER
Pizza Today.
is Executive Editor at
Pizza Today - February 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - February 2020
Pizza Today - February 2020
Commentary
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Meet the Makers
Conversation
Man on the Street
Tony’s Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinations
Sidewalk Seating
Italian Sandwiches
Veggie Pizza Toppings
Trending Beets
Third-Party Delivery Contracts
Pizza Expo Preview
Business Transparency
Il Primo Pizza & Wings -- Fort Myers, Fl
Preferred Supplier
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - February 2020 - CT1
Pizza Today - February 2020 - CT2
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Pizza Today - February 2020
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Cover2
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Commentary
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 4
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 5
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 6
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 7
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Contributors
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 9
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 11
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Meet the Makers
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 13
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Conversation
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 15
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 17
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Tony’s Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 19
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 21
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 22
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 23
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Destinations
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 25
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Sidewalk Seating
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 27
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 28
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 29
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Italian Sandwiches
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 31
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Veggie Pizza Toppings
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 33
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 34
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 35
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Trending Beets
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 37
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Third-Party Delivery Contracts
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 39
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 40
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 41
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Pizza Expo Preview
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 43
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 44
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 45
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 46
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 47
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Business Transparency
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 49
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 50
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 51
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Il Primo Pizza & Wings -- Fort Myers, Fl
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 53
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 54
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 55
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 56
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 57
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 59
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 60
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 61
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 62
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 63
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 64
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 65
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 66
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 67
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 68
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 69
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 71
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 73
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 74
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 75
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 76
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 77
Pizza Today - February 2020 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 79
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 80
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 81
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 82
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 83
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 84
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 85
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 86
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 87
Pizza Today - February 2020 - 88
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Cover3
Pizza Today - February 2020 - Cover4
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