Tur’s Springtime Seasonal Roots

Welcome to another tasty edition of Chefs Share! Each month, we share a home chef-friendly recipe from one of Miami’s culinary stars. If you’ve never worked in a professional kitchen before, don’t worry – these recipes don’t require any formal experience, and the ingredients can be found at your local specialty store or supermarket.

This month’s recipe comes from Christian Chirino of Tur Kitchen (786.483.8014), located at 259 Giralda Ave. in Coral Gables. The Chilean-born chef started out as a young cook in Paris. He worked for famous chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants in France and completed internships at many restaurants in Europe. Now at Tur he features dishes that transport you to Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East using locally sourced ingredients.

Having grown up in Chile, Chirino finds that the spring season here in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Florida, is a completely different experience.

“The weather and nature are not similar at all,” he said, “but the ambiance, everyone’s energy – they’re the same. Everybody waits for spring, looking for warm weather, flowers and fruits.”

Chirino points out that Tur’s menu fits all seasons.

“We primarily work with local farmers, and every month we change an average of three recipes to go hand-in-hand with [our fresh, seasonal produce],” he said.

Walking through Tur’s menu by ingredients, composition, sources, textures and balance, Chirino explained that he increases intensity of flavor from course to course, beginning with a starter like Seasonal Roots, which we’re sharing how to make here.

Before you get started, make sure to read the entire recipe to avoid any surprises along the way. Enjoy!

SEASONAL ROOTS

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds kosher salt
• 2 pounds red beets, cleaned
• 1 pound yellow beets, cleaned
• 2 cups labneh (yogurt strained until it has the consistency of soft cheese)
• 1 orange, cut into segments
• 5 French breakfast radishes, very thinly sliced
• 2 watermelon radishes, very thinly sliced
• 2 local radishes, very thinly sliced
• 1 cup nasturtium leaves

Clementine Dressing:

• 2 cups clementine juice
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 180º F.
• Cover bottom of baking tray with kosher salt, place beets on tray and pour remaining salt on top; cover with aluminum foil.
• Place beets in oven and roast/bake for 90 minutes, until cooked through.
• Allow beets to cool; cut into 2″ pieces.
• To plate, using a pastry bag form a circle of labneh on each dish, then alternate orange and beets on top, covering labneh.
• Add freshly sliced radishes on top of and around placed orange and beets; add salt to taste and nasturtium leaves.
• Add clementine juice, olive oil and salt to taste to blender; combine until emulsified, about 3 minutes.
• Fill circle of each plate with dressing and serve.

Irene Moore is a Miami-based writer and certified sommelier whose vivid descriptions take readers through culinary cultures around the world. Her feature articles have appeared in print publications, travel guidebooks and websites in the U.S. and Europe.