Beetroot, orange and fennel salad recipe
In this salad I am using golden beetroots, as their sweetness is reminiscent of the purple ones of home – whatever flavour shortfall there is, the aromatic, zingy citrus dressing addresses it perfectly. Once again, I would advocate roasting the beetroots with aromatics. Concentrating their flavour is paramount, and helping this delicious root vegetable lose some of its liquid by cooking it dry will do just that.
The number of beetroots is based on the fact that they tend to generally be on the small size, but it is best you judge how many you need. Being a Greek, I believe it is always better to have leftovers and eat them the next day than be short of anything, particularly when entertaining!
Ingredients
For the salad- 1 handful pistachio nuts
- 4 –5 golden beetroots, preferably with their stalks
- 1 glug of extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 oranges
- 1 packet of watercress
- 2 baby gem lettuces
- 0.5 fennel bulb, fronds reserved
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 squeeze of lemon juice
- 300 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 unwaxed orange, zest only
- 20 ml lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange blossom honey
- 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds only
- 1 cm (0.5inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Details
- Cuisine: Greek
- Recipe Type: Salad
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 80 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Roast the pistachios on a baking tray for 5–7 minutes, then put aside to cool.
- Cut the stalks off the beetroots and set aside. Wash and dry the beetroots and place them on a piece of foil large enough to wrap them completely. Drizzle them with a little oil, season with salt and pepper, then add the sprig of thyme and the garlic cloves, wrap well and place in the oven. Check after 1 hour by inserting a knife into the beetroots, though they may need as long as 1½ hours, depending on their size.
- Wash the stalks and cut them into pieces about 5cm (2inch) long. Drop them into a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes, until soft but still with a bit of crunch, then drain and rinse under cold water. Put them into a bowl with a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon, and season.
- Take the beetroots out of the oven when cooked and leave to cool. Peel, thinly slice and put into a bowl. Drizzle with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Peel the oranges and divide into segments, discarding the membrane. Rinse and drain the watercress. Trim the ends off the lettuces and slice them horizontally into ½ cm-thick (0.1inch) rings. With a vegetable peeler or a mandolin, shave the fennel.
- To make the dressing, bring the orange juice and zest to the boil in a small saucepan, then boil until reduced by half. Place in a small blender and add the lemon juice, honey, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and blend to a thick consistency. Add the cardamom seeds and grated ginger and give it a good stir.
- On a flat serving plate, arrange the beetroot slices, watercress, fennel shavings, orange segments and baby gems in layers, scattering some of the beetroot stalks here and there. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and scatter over the roasted pistachios and fennel fronds.
This recipe is from Under the Olive Tree: My Greek Kitchen by Irini Tzortzoglou (£25, Headline). Out now.
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