The majority of the food I cook is beige. Pasta, potatoes and bread. Beige, beige and more beige. This salad, on that other hand, is anything but. It’s a kaleidoscope of colour and the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, crunchy and rich — a great accompaniment to the beige sea I often serve up.
It’s a simple dish that puts fresh, local produce front and centre. The red and gold beets were beautiful and can be found at the Slow Food Melbourne market, which rotates between Spotswood and West Footscray.
Serves 4-6 as a side.
Lizzie Moss is a home cook and pasta lover, usually found hosting dinner parties and generally making a mess of her little kitchen in the inner west. Pasta, please! is her Italian fever dream, which you can follow on Instagram: @pastaplease_
Ingredients
1 large red beetroot
1 large yellow/gold beetroot
50g or a handful of fresh rocket
A couple of mint leaves
A handful of walnuts
A few pieces of marinated goat cheese or feta
For the dressing:
50ml olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
A dollop of honey
Method
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the beetroot skin.
- Taking a mandoline and being very, very careful, slice the beetroots using the thinnest setting. Alternatively, use a knife. I find it best to use gloves (unless you are re-enacting a scene from Macbeth afterwards), as the beetroot juice will stain your skin.
- Layer your beetroot on a serving plate, alternating red and gold.
- In a jar, mix your olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Two parts oil to one part acid (juice in this case) is a safe ratio, if you’re unsure.
- Pour the vinaigrette over a handful of rocket and mix in a small bowl, before placing the salad into the middle of your beetroot arrangement.
- Use any remaining dressing to pour over the beetroot. You don’t need to drench it — it’s important to maintain the natural juiciness of those beautiful beets.
- Add a few mint leaves from the garden for extra freshness.
- Roughly chop a handful of walnuts and sprinkle on top.
- Finish with some crumbled goat cheese or feta.
