This brilliantly colored starter is an unusual and extremely elegant way of using beets. Serve it with chips, bread, or toast or as an accompaniment to any roast poultry dish. Make this ahead of time if you can; it’s best after marinating overnight.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 or more servings

　　4 fresh beets, about 1 1/2 pounds, washed, roasted, and peeled (page 442)

　　2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　Tabasco sauce to taste

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional

　　

Step 1

Place the beets, oil, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely minced.

　　

Step 2

Season with Tabasco, salt, and pepper and serve or cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Garnish with parsley if you like before serving.

　　

Beet Caviar with Walnuts

Step 3

Chop 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, not too fine (you want pieces, not powder). Toast them in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until they become fragrant. Stir them into the beets just before serving.

　　

Spicy Beet Caviar

Step 4

Add to the mix 1 shallot, roughly chopped (do not process); 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or Tabasco sauce, or to taste; and 1/4 cup minced capers.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.