The Romans ate them and the Russians and Germans still do, but even those geniuses of the culinary world, the French masterchefs, struggled to be inspired when confronted with the beetroot. Larousse has only nine recipes, six of them smothering them under sauces; Escoffier could only manage three.
Although no more difficult to prepare than the carrot or potato many of us pass them by in the shops. Too difficult, too unfamiliar and too bloody, we tell ourselves, but rather than succumb to insults and get pushed off the culinary shelf, beetroot are procreating. I swear there are more and more of them everywhere, every week. Beetroots are a wonderful source of antioxidants, and because there is no cooking involved the nutrients remain intact. They also contain Betaine which promotes the synthesis of seratonin, which enhances mood. They’re in season, so here is our take on a fabulous way to enjoy this superfood. I hope you love the simplicity of this sweet and earthy salad as much as I do.
Raw Beetroot Salad Recipe
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1 large beetroot (or a couple of small beetroots)
2 carrots
zest of 1 orange
handful of sunflower seeds
handful of parsley roughly chopped
small block of Danish feta (about 100g)
Dressing:
juice of ½ an orange
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt and pepper
It is best to use gloves when handling raw beetroot as it can stain your hands and clothes for so handle with care!
Peel and coarsely grate beetroot and grate carrots (I don’t usually bother peeling the carrots if they are fresh). Mix together beetroot, carrot, sunflower seeds and parsley. Put all dressing ingredients in jar and shake. Pour dressing over salad and stir through. Plate your salad and then crumble feta over the top (by adding the feta after plating it stops it going bright red!)
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side salad.
Notes: There are numerous variations on this salad. You could add orange segments, herbs such as mint or coriander, sultanas, or other nuts and seeds. You could also spice it up with some ground cumin and coriander added to your dressing and serve it with falafels and yoghurt.
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G’day Di (waves from cyberspace) – Pauline Read from Lifeline’s daughter here. I remember our garden in Adelaide being chock-full of beetroots and our struggles to find ways in which to cook them. I like the idea of this salad.
Synchronicity, as Jung would say Kath. Are you still writing for chocablog.com? That’s how I found you. Beetroot season here as we’re in spring guess yours would be under snow over there.
Thanks for the beet recipe! I’ve only just discovered how great they are when not from a can. I will be doing this salad as a side for xmas day lunch as I imagine it would compliment the turkey!
Thanks Pip, so glad you tried it, we love this salad and have it regularly at the moment! I put whole slices of orange in the other day which was really good too! You could put try dried cranberries in it for Christmas which might be nice too.