At Tico, Michael Schlow’s pan-Latin small plates spot, the veggie dishes are some of the stars of the menu. Case in point: this brightly flavored plate of roasted beets with salty capers, pistachios, and harissa-spiked yogurt.
Serves 6 to 8
Make the spicy yogurt:
1 quart Greek yogurt
¼ cup harissa paste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Let sit for 24 hours (ideally) and check the seasoning before serving.
Roast the beets:
6 medium golden beets
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
9 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 425. Coat the beets with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and thyme sprigs. Roast for 15 minutes or until tender throughout. Let cool slightly but not completely, as they are easier to peel when warm. Peel, then quarter the beets and season with the Once peeled quarter or cut to desired size and season with the chopped thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sherry vinegar, the honey, and salt and pepper:
Make the caper sauce:
¼ cup rinsed capers
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.
Assemble the beets:
1 cup chopped roasted pistachio
To serve the beets, spoon the spicy yogurt onto a plate and spread it so it holds the beets in place. Once you’ve arranged the beets on each plate, top with the caper sauce and chopped pistachios.
