Spicy Beetroot Salad

Beautiful beets are cooked, sliced and marinated in a sweet and spicy dressing; a salad that is always popular.

When selecting beetroots, don’t buy limp leaved beets; choose instead undamaged vegetables that won’t lose moisture and flavour when they are cooked. Furthermore, when cooking the beets, leave the whiskery roots and a little of the leaf stalks intact. From a cooking point of view, it’s good to have beets of an even size.

Ingredients:

1kg fresh, firm beetroots

15ml salt

Dressing:

80ml tarragon vinegar

80ml dark vinegar

375ml water reserved from the cooked beetroots

45ml brown sugar

5ml mustard seeds

6 whole cloves

6 black peppercorns

Stick cinnamon

Bay leaf

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

Method:

Wash beetroot to remove any sand. Place in a large saucepan with salt and enough cold water to cover. Bring to the boil over a medium to high heat, reduce to low heat and simmer, with lid on the saucepan, for 40-60 minutes until cooked.  Avoid piercing while cooking; rather test if they are cooked by wrinkling the skin – when cooked to perfection the skin should easily come away from the beets.

Remove the beets from the cooking water, reserving 375ml for use in the dressing. When cool enough to handle, skin and slice the beetroots, arranging them in a serving dish.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes; the onions should be crisp and tender. Pour dressing over sliced beets, cool then cover and store in the fridge for at least a day or two before serving to allow the beets to marinate.

This salad keeps well for a couple of weeks stored in a Mason Jar in the fridge.

Minted Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:

4-6 cooked beetroot

15-30ml balsamic vinegar

30ml olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh mint, leaves stripped and finely shredded

Method:

Cut the beetroot into even-sized dice and put in a bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss to combine.

Add half of the shredded mint to the beetroot and toss to combine. Place the salad in the fridge for about an hour and serve, garnished with the remaining shredded mint leaves.

Polish Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:

4 cooked beetroot, skinned and thinly sliced

300ml plain yoghurt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Caraway seeds

Paprika

Salt and pepper

Method:

Place the beetroot slices in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, beat the yoghurt and garlic, a little salt and the caraway seeds. Pour the dressing over the beetroot and sprinkle with paprika.

Raw Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium beetroots, trimmed, peeled and grated

2 Granny Smith apples, grated with the skins on

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on the diagonal

60ml natural yoghurt

30ml lemon juice

125ml chopped fresh parsley

Sesame seeds to garnish

Method:

Put into a salad bowl the beetroot, apples and spring onions, leaving some of the green onion tops for garnish.

Mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice and half the parsley and toss into the salad. Garnish with reserved spring onions, parsley and sesame seeds.

Beetroot and Onion Salad

When selecting beetroots, don’t buy limp leaved beets; choose instead undamaged vegetables that won’t lose moisture and flavour when they are cooked. Furthermore, when cooking the beets, leave the whiskery roots and a little of the leaf stalks intact. From a cooking point of view, it’s good to have beets of an even size.

Ingredients:

5 large cooked beetroot, skinned and thinly sliced

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

60ml vinegar

Sugar

Salt and pepper

Method:

Combine the beetroot and onion in a bowl.

Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper to taste and pour over the vinegar.

Allow the salad to stand for about 30 minutes before serving or store in a large sterilised mason jar in the fridge.

Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch of beetroot

Vinegar Dressing:
125ml white vinegar
30ml water
5ml Dijon Mustard
5ml honey
10ml salt
2.5ml freshly ground black pepper
125ml Olive Oil
30ml sunflower oil

Method:
Remove beetroot leaves, leaving ± 2 cm of stems. Do not cut the root ends. Place beetroot in a large saucepan and cover with warm water.

Cover and simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes or until beetroot is tender (test with a fork or pointed knife).

Drain off water and leave beetroot to cool. Slip off the skins and trim the root and stem ends.

Pour dressing ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake until well combined.

Cut beetroot into quarters and pack into a sterilised glass jar.

Shake up dressing and pour over beetroot to cover.

Seal jar and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight if possible.


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