As promised, it will be a month of red and green everything or at least for long as I can create dishes around a duo color theme. And I am already off to a bit of an ambiguous start yesterday because the Three Ingredient Salmon was pink. Close enough. Especially if you put it on the arugula salad. Pink and Green.
Today I made a lovely, light and healthy salad which would look great 0n a holiday table.
Inspired by a story I heard from a great friend who emigrated here from Poland, this salad (or a variation of it) is a part of a traditional meal consisting of 12 courses served on Christmas Eve in Poland.
Meant to commemorate or symbolize the 12 apostles, this multi-course feast has no meat so the large variety of vegetables must take center stage. Beet salad generally makes an appearance at this feast.
This is a very SIMPLE salad, both because it is easy to prepare but also because the beets alone are the focus, without a lot of fussiness or the distraction of numerous ingredients.
Lemon, salt, honey (to round out the tang of the lemon) and a bit of good extra virgin olive oil is all you need to dress the beets up. I added a bit of allspice to give the beets a holiday feel.
Let the beets simply speak for themselves. When grated, their texture makes the salad all the more interesting. And easier to eat, I might add since those large rounds of beet slices can sometimes result in just a bit being taken and the remainder falling off the fork onto the plate. Who am I to judge but personally, that is a bit embarrassing……
TIP AND TRICK OF THE DAY:
As a general rule it is always good to add the vinaigrette to cooked vegetables while they are still warm. This is true for potato salad as well. Any dressing containing citrus or vinegar (in this case both) will greatly enhance the flavor of the dish when added when the vegetables are warm because they absorb the liquid/oil instead of the dressing just lying on the surface. This is not a scientific statement. Just one based on observation!
You can arrange the salad on a nice white platter and, garnished with parsley this will be nice and festive. Suitable for a simple supper or a formal holiday meal.
More red and green to follow. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Because if you don’t think a lot in MEtirement you might find yourself with a brain limp as overcooked spaghetti…….I plan to keep exercising it!
Roasted and Grated Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
This lovely red salad is a festive addition to a holiday table or it can just lend a bit of variety to any casual dinner
Ingredients
- 6 large beets scrubbed but not peeled, top and bottom trimmed
- 2 lemons (rind and juice) rinds grated and lemons juiced
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar I like Trader Joe's brand
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets in a foil-lined baking pan and leave enough room between them so they are not touching. You want them to roast, not steam. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
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Bake the beets for 60 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. The tip of a sharp knife should pierce them easily. If not, cook for 10 more minutes. You want the beets to be a bit firm but not raw in the middle. Remove pan from oven and set aside until they are still warm but you can grate them.
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Slip the peels off of the beets and grate them with the large holes of a grater. You do not want them too fine. Put the beets in a large strainer and press them with a large spoon so the excess juices drain off and do not dilute the dressing.
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Make the vinaigrette by whisking all of the remaining ingredients together (except parsley), whisking in the oil at the end until the dressing is emulsified.
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Toss the dressing with the beets while they are still warm. Arrange the beets on a platter or in a bowl and sprinkle with the parsley.
Now if I could only get my wife to make some of these wonderful dishes!
I think she might be too busy painting! Thanks for continuing to read the blog!