Beet carpaccio

Beet carpaccio is an easy vegetarian twist on the classic Italian dish. It makes a wonderfully elegant and tasty appetizer, or pair it with a range of mains as a side. Perfect as part of a special meal, or whatever the excuse.

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Some vegetables can be a little under-loved, and beets are one of them. To a point, I can understand why. If your only experience was the incredibly sharp, pickled versions out of a packet, I would probably agree. But if you give them a chance (and prepare them differently), they can be so tasty.

Beets, or beetroot, are a root vegetable that you can roast or boil to use in various ways, but you can also enjoy them raw. They have a slight natural sweetness and amazing color. And not just the more common purple/red, but also literally gold-tinged golden and the pink and white striped chioggia beets are just as, if not more, pretty.

I have already shared a few other salad-like dishes that bring out their best, like my raw beet quinoa salad and beet and apple salad. Then other dishes which make the most of their beautiful color include beet gnocchi and beet cured salmon.

This dish both draws on the color, as well as the flavor it has to make a lovely vegetarian twist on a classic beef carpaccio. I often shy away from using the 'meaty' name for a vegetable dish, but actually here I think it fits well.

What is carpaccio?

Carpaccio was created at Harry's Bar in Venice by Giuseppe Cipriani in 1963. Apparently he made it for a countess who was recommended by her doctor to eat raw meat.

The original dish was made by pounding thin slices of beef which were then dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and truffles or parmesan cheese. The dish drew on a Piedemonte regional twist on steak tartare, carne cruda all'albese, which uses these flavors.

The name of the dish comes from the Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio, who was known for the red and white tones in his paintings (as you can see in some of his works). The idea was that the raw meat had these same colors. (And that same lovely color is kind of true for beets!)

Since it's creation, carpaccio has become a popular appetizer around the world, and has a few variations using other meats and fish like salmon. 

This vegetable variation

This beet or beetroot carpaccio draws on the style of the original, but instead uses thinly sliced beets. It is possible to make a version using raw beet, but I prefer this roasted beet version as the slices are more tender and the flavor fits that bit better.

As with beef carpaccio, a simple arugula salad and citrus dressing pairs well, though in this case I have made an orange vinaigrette. You could use lemon, but orange pairs well with beet and draws on the slightly sweet tones. 

Walnuts are another great pairing with beet, so a few toasted nuts on top works perfectly to add texture and flavor. If you like, a few chunks of goat cheese would be great in there as well, though that clearly means the dish is no longer vegan.

Tips for making this dish (and preparing ahead)

This dish is really easy, and can be prepared ahead in a few ways as well. Roasting beets is what takes the longest, but you can do this ahead of time. You can store the cooked beets in the foil you cook them in for a couple days in the fridge.

The exact roasting time can vary, but you can check by inserting a knife into the middle then cooked, you should get only a little resistance.

Remember, beets can stain, so you might want to use disposable gloves when you peel and slice them. A mandolin is probably most efficient to slice, but you can also use a wide vegetable peeler. 

The vinaigrette can be made ahead as well and stored in the fridge for a few days. You may need to bring it to room temperature before using so it mixes a little better. And certainly, whisk or shake the dressing right before using as it will tend to settle out, like any dressing.

You can also toast the walnuts ahead of time and store at room temperature. I do highly recommend you don't skip the toasting, though, tempting as it may be - it really brings out the flavor and takes no time at all.

While I forgot to for the video here (oops!), I recommend tossing the arugula with the dressing so that the leaves are coated evenly. But I suggest only doing this right before plating everything up so the leaves don't wilt.

Serving ideas

While as I say this makes a lovely light, simple appetizer as it is, you could make a few additions. A minor one, that fits well, is adding some goat cheese, as I mention above. You could further add to the arugula salad part with some shaved fennel and roasted grapes, for example. Then if you are looking for a larger appetizer, try serving burrata with it too.

If served as a side, it would go well with a range of proteins like a simple steak, lamb chops, roast chicken or salmon. Or to keep it vegetarian/vegan, then something like some mushroom-loaded toast would be great alongside this. 

Beet carpaccio is to me not simply a vegetarian version of a meaty dish. It's in effect an elegant way of preparing a salad, but one that's wonderful in it's simplicity. Beautiful colors, lovely textures and delicate flavors. It makes a wonderful start to many a meal, or side to something equally simple yet delicious.

Try these other easy appetizers (that look impressive):

• Baked mussels (really easy to prepare but they look that bit more fancy)
• Turkish stuffed grape leaves, yalanci dolma (OK, they take a bit of time to roll but they are easy and this style is vegetarian too)
• Pea and mint soup (soup is always great to start a meal and this one is bright, tasty and super easy)
• Plus get more appetizer recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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