Summer Beet Salad
Beet & watermelon salad, your new summer classic. Loaded with flavour, texture, and bright vibrant colours. Just cook up the beets, whip up creamy feta, drizzle a splash of watermelon vinaigrette, toss with pickled watermelon rind, tie it all together with a sprinkle of spiced pistachio-sesame seeds for a touch of crunch.
Flavouring Components: Watermelon Flavouring Kit
1 Watermelon Vinaigrette
2 Pickled Watermelon Rind
3 Pistachio-Sesame Crumble
Salad Components
1 bunch Striped beets
1 bunch Golden beets or beets of your choice
Salt (to taste)
Olive Oil (1 TBSP)
Red onions 1/4 thinly sliced
Basil leaves 1 sprig
Arugula 2 cups
Shaved beets, 2 beets
Cheese Components
8 oz goats feta cheese
3 oz greek style yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 TBSP lemon juice
S & P
Suggested additions: This salad is amazing on its own, however feel free to add shaved fennel. Replace the feta cheese with ricotta. Add fresh watermelon, avocado slices or grains.
PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS
BEETS: trim green tops. If the leaves are young, wash well and add to the salad. Scrub beets, place into a pot filled with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer gently 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Check for doneness by inserting a paring knife into the centre of the beet. Once tender, drain, cool slightly. Place a towel into the palm of your hand, place a beet into the towel and rub to remove the skin. Cut beets into 1/4’s. Place into a bowl, drizzle with 1 TBSP Watermelon Vinaigrette (flavouring component 1) & a splash of oil. Cover & refrigerate until ready to use.
TIP: Cook beets of uniform size in one pot. Boil colours separately as the cooking time differs for each beet colour. Cook ahead & refrigerate for up to a week
RED ONIONS: peel & slice into rounds about 1/4” thick, set aside
BASIL: pick leaves, wash well, cover with paper towel
ARUGULA: wash, set aside
SHAVED BEETS: slice thinly with mandoline or a sharp knife, place into ice water to crisp
FETA CHEESE: bring cheese ingredients to room temperature. Place into a container and whip with a hand blender until smooth and spreadable. Cover & refrigerate for up to a week.
TIP: Simplify the cheese spread by simply crumbling the feta into the salad. Feta can be replaced with a goats chèvre for a creamier texture.
Assemble your salad
Smear the feta cheese around the perimeter of the plate
Toss the arugula with 1/2 TBSP Watermelon Vinaigrette (flavouring component 1) adjust seasoning, place inside the cheese smear
Toss beets & onions with 1 TBSP Watermelon Vinaigrette (flavouring component 1) place over the arugula
Sprinkle Pickled Watermelon RInd (flavouring component 2) over the beets
Garnish your salad
A few finishing touches: scatter shaved beet slices over the beet salad. Sprinkle with Spiced Pistachio-Sesame Crumble (flavouring component 3) top with basil sprouts or torn basil leaves.
