Beet and Cucumber Relish With Grilled Asparagus
By: Kristi Rimkus
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 3:20am

Ingredients




2 pounds medium red beets (about ½  without greens), tails and about 1 inch of stems left
1 cup diced (¼-inch pieces) peeled English cucumber
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and peeled
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each beet in foil. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, trim beets and rub off skins with paper towels, or peel beets with a paring knife. 2 Cut beets into 1/4-inch dice, and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in cucumber, shallot, vinegar, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 hours. 3 Preheat a grill or grill pan until hot. Toss asparagus with remaining teaspoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Grill asparagus, turning once, until tender, 4 to 8 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on thickness of spears). 4 Arrange asparagus on a platter, and let cool completely. Finely chop basil, and stir into beet relish. Using a slotted spoon, spoon beet relish over asparagus.

About


This time of year, in fact, most of the year, we love to grill. Grilling foods brings out their best flavor, in my opinion. The best thing about grilling is that cleaning up is a breeze. We made this recipe on the grill, instead of the oven, and it came out wonderful. It's such a refreshing and colorful dish.
I was out of fresh basil, but I had some frozen in the freezer. Don't forget to freeze your basil before it goes bad and you can easily use it in dishes like this.
Recipe from Whole Living Magazine.