Patrick Rebholz's Ranch Cucumber & Tomato Salad

By pjones-2

Ingredients

• 1 small red beet, peeled and roughly chopped
• ¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2½ Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1½ Tbsp. kosher salt
• 5 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 English cucumbers, sliced into half-moons
• 12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. ranch dressing mix (from 1 [1-oz.] envelope)
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Details

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 180mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place beet, 1¾ cups water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until beet is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

2. Transfer beet with cooking liquid to a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender, and place a clean towel over opening in lid to prevent splatters. Process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Strain and discard solids; allow strained beet mixture to cool slightly.

3. Place shallots in a bowl; pour cooled beet mixture over. Cover, and let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.

4. Toss together cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, ranch dressing mix and pepper in a large bowl until coated. Top with pickled shallots, and serve.