Beetroot & Goat Cheese Salad

For a while now, I've been talking to my Mum about wanting to start a proper vege garden. She must be getting sick of me going on about it because Mum and Dad gave me a NZ Gardener Garden Diary for Christmas (thanks!). It tells you what you should be planting and harvesting each month - this is exactly what I need!

My garden area is tiny, so I have to carefully choose what I want to grow. My philosophy is that I'll grow things that are bit beyond my usual vegetable staples - so no cabbage or Agria potatoes in my garden. After carefully reading through the January list of things to sow and plant, I popped down to the local plant store to buy my supplies for the month.

Beetroot is a vege that I've become more interested in over the last few of years. Growing up, I was used to eating beetroot out of a can and didn't like the flavour of fresh beetroot at all. A slice or two of tinned beetroot in your burger was the best way to eat it... or so I thought.

These days, I've discovered that I love fresh beetroot in a salad, or sliced thinly and roasted into chips. Either way, they need to be boiled first. Another idea is to make a chinese casserole of layers of pork and beetroot - I will have to ask Mum for a recipe.

While I wait for my little beetroot plants to grow and reward me with some juicy beets, I will have to buy them from the local vege store instead. When they are ready, this beetroot salad is how we will be eating them - I can't wait.

Boiling beetroot

1. Select beetroot of similar size for even cooking
2. Lightly wipe any dirt off the beetroot and trim stalks to about 1/2cm away from the flesh. Don't trim the root
3. Boil in a pot of water until cooked. Test by poking with a skewer or sharp knife. The skewer or knife will sink into the beetroot fairly easily when done
4. Drain and rub off the beetroot skin with your fingers
5. Cut off the stalks and root

Beetroot and Goat Cheese Salad (Serves 6)

Ingredients

6-8 medium sized beetroot

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pepper

200g goat's feta

lettuce / salad greens

Directions

1. Boil the beetroot as above
2. Heat an oven to 200 degrees C and cut beetroot into wedges
3. Toss the wedges with the olive oil and roast for 20-30 minutes. It should look roasted and caramelised
4. Transfer the beetroot to a bowl and toss with the balsamic vinegar. Add pepper to taste
5. Put the lettuce or salad greens in a large salad bowl and roughly mix in the beetroot
6. Slice or crumble over the goat's cheese and mix lightly

Serve immediately.

Tips

1. Although more expensive, goat's feta has a nicer flavour than cow's feta
2. Don't toss the salad too much as the deep red beetroot juice shouldn't cover the whole salad. You want the feta to remain mostly white

By Andrea Wong

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