Dinner Tonight: Crunchy Raw Beetroot Salad with Feta and Pear
I was going to tie this beet salad in with the New York Times article "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating", until my wife kindly reminded me the article was actually published in June, and that smart me had already written about it. Hey, the summer seems like a long time ago here in Chicago. I suppose you can never have enough of the 11 best foods.
I was mostly intrigued by the author's explanation of eating beets. They should be shaved and eaten raw because "heating decreases the antioxidant power." I like beets, but always roast the hell out of them until they became gloriously sweet and juicy. How good could raw beets be? For help in raw beet initiation I turned to Jamie Oliver, who cuts them into thin matchsticks and pairs them with, well, pears. The result is a crisp winter salad, with some much needed bite from the feta.
Crunchy Raw Beetroot Salad with Feta and Pear
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Cook with Jamieby Jamie Oliver
Ingredients
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7 tablespoons olive oil
4 beets, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3 pears, peeled, cored, and cut into matchsticks
Salt and pepper
7 ounces feta cheese
Handful of fresh mint
Handful of sunflower seeds
Procedure
1. Pour the lemon juice into a small bowl and slowly whisk in the oil.
2. Toss together the beets and pears in a large bowl. Pour the lemon dressing on top and mix until thoroughly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the mint, sunflower seeds, and crumble on the feta. Serve.
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5 Comments:
ugh, beets.
carriebwc at 4:26PM on 01/16/09
yum, beets.
July at 5:17PM on 01/16/09
y'all had another raw beet salad back in october that i've had several times since because it's delicious:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/10/apple-beetroot-and-cheddar-salad-recipe.html
looks like i'll have to test out the julienne capacity of my mandoline and make this one! stay warm, all this coming week appears to be in the 20s, which will feel like a heat wave. =)
anysuchname at 8:54PM on 01/16/09
"How good could raw beets be?"
So how good were they? I might try this in the summer, I crave only hot foods in winter.
overw8 at 8:01AM on 01/17/09
i love beets, but come on...this salad for dinner? it's cold here in nc this week, and i know it's a LOT colder in chicago. roasted beets might make a good side, but a cold salad for dinner isn't gonna cut the mustard in this house!
annaliesenc at 4:36PM on 01/18/09