Let me start today by thanking both my sisters, Ana and Tinha, for these two wonderful pressure cookers, in different sizes, that they got for us as gifts when we were in Brazil in January. They work perfectly! And they’re a lot easier to operate than our last one. Thus far, I’ve used them to cook beans, lentils, brown rice, other miscellaneous things, and lately, beets. I just can’t live without a pressure cooker, and now I don’t have to anymore. Even Steven has gotten over his performance anxiety and used them a few times. That’s progress.
pressure steamed yellow beet salad
Normally I roast beets in the oven because it brings out a lot of flavor and sweetness. But it takes time. When I made these beautiful organic yellow beets, I was in a hurry. So instead of the usual, I “pressure steamed” them. I think the steaming retains the flavor more than boiling and it prevents vitamins and other goodness from leeching into the cooking water. All I did was put a metal steaming basket in the pressure cooker then filled it with a thin layer of about a cup of water just below where I placed the raw beets. Twelve minutes later, they were ready.
Pressure Steamed Yellow Beet Salad
3-4 large yellow beets
1 chopped scallion
3 tbsp crumbled Greek feta cheese
3 tbsp extra virgin arbequina olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Greek oregano to taste (I used dried but if you have fresh, that’s even better)
our new pressure cookers in use!
Scrub clean raw beets and pressure steam as above. Allow to cool completely. Cut into slices about ½ to ¼ inch thick.
Lay beet slices flat on a serving platter. Scatter beets with feta crumbles, then sprinkle with scallion, salt, pepper and oregano. Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil. Don’t stir or toss. You’ll spoil the presentation.
This salad should entice your taste buds with all of the individual flavors of each ingredient; first with sweet, salty, sour, herby and earthy aromas and tastes; and then with all of them combined. So simple and elegant! We both love it!