Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
If you search my blog for salad recipes you’ll see there are 33! Yes, I am a salad queen at heart. I love how easily a salad can be thrown together as an accompaniment to a main meal and some of the ones I’ve made have been meals by themselves. I always make my own salad dressings which vary from a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the one below that requires a bit more work but well worth it taste/calorie wise!
The wild beet (the ancestor of the beet we know today) is thought to have originated in prehistoric times in North Africa and grew wild along Asian and European shores. In these earlier times, people ate the beet greens and not the roots. The ancient Romans were one of the first civilizations to cultivate beets to use their roots as food. Beets did not become a popular food until French chefs recognized their potential in the 1800’s. Beets’ value grew in the 19th century when it was discovered that they were a concentrated source of sugar, and the first sugar factory was built in Poland. Beet powder is used as a coloring agent for many foods. Some frozen pizzas use beet powder to color the tomato sauce. For more nutritional information on beets, click here.
Serves 6
adapted from Stories restaurant
1 lb small, mixed beets (trimmed)
3 branches of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and ground pepper to taste
aluminum foil
Salad Ingredients:
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 small shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
couple of handfuls of young arugula (rocket)
8 oz goat cheese
2 oz pistachios, peeled, roasted and coarsely chopped
 Preheat oven to 180c (350f). Roast the beets in a aluminum foil pouch by folding a long piece of foil in half and fold seams along the sides. Add beets, fresh thyme, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Fold top and place the foil pouch on a baking tray. Place in the oven and cook 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature or until you are able to peel the skins. To make the vinaigrette, start by reducing the orange juice (place juice in a pot over medium heat) until it’s one quarter of its original volume. Remove the orange juice from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the diced shallot and balsamic vinegar. Slowly whisk in orange zest and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Place the arugula in a bowl and dress with the vinaigrette. Divide the arugula amongst the plates. Place the roasted beets around the arugula and top each salad with equal amounts of the crumbled goat cheese and pistachios. You may want to cut the beets into quarters if they are bigger than a golf ball (like I did). Drizzle a small amount of the remaining dressing around each plate. The Culinary Chase’s Note: Choose beets that are small and firm with deep maroon coloring, unblemished skin, and bright green leaves with no sign of wilting. The root should still be attached. Avoid large beets which have hairy roots as this is an indication of age and toughness. Roasted beets become even sweeter in flavor and are a wonderful addition to any salad! Enjoy! |
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