Beets with orange salad and goat cheese
One of my February 2012 recipes for National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, now Beyond Celiac.
You might have noticed that Beet salads are becoming one of the ‘new’ chef recipes. I have seen recipes for a beet salad in magazines, on line and on restaurant menus. Beets are called beetroot in England. Beets are not just pickled and make a good salad for a NE winter. I make a beet tzatziki with yogurt based on Ana Sortun’s recipe from Café Sofra/Oleana in Boston, Ma. My aunt in England makes a beet gelatin salad with lemon jello. When I saw that jello gelatins are no longer ‘real’, I made a fresh lemon syrup with sour cream and beets set with gelatin. This version is similar to a salad I had at Burton’s Grill in Nashua NH. Burton’s is a chain of a few restaurants mainly in Massachusetts that offer an extensive, interesting gluten free menu.
I like to use fresh beets because I think they have more flavor than canned beets in brine, but quite honestly when canned beets are mixed with a dressing and served with other ingredients, the difference in flavor is not sufficiently noticeable to be worth the effort. I normally cook my beets in a saucepan of water since I just don’t seem to get a good result roasting them. I have also microwaved them in a microwave safe bowl with a cover, 2 tablespoons of water and 2 small beets for about 8-10 minutes. I did this the same day I cooked beets in a saucepan and compared them. As I say, no real difference when they are part of a dish with various ingredients.
These ingredients and quantities are not written in stone. They are dependent on what you have available and what you like.
4 small beets cooked and peeled. Don’t peel beets until you are ready to use them. They stay fresher in fridge unpeeled. Or use roughly half of a 15 oz can of small whole beets.
1 Tbsp (15 ml) white Balsamic vinegar - only for its lighter color compared to regular Balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp (45 ml) orange juice. Concentrated orange juice makes a far more tangy dressing. Decant oj concentrate from freezer carton and it can be stored in freezer in freezer safe container as it doesn't freeze solid.
1 tsp (5 ml) gf Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard, spicy mustard)
2 tsp (10ml) maple syrup or honey. Maple syrup is a staple in most N.E. households
½ c (4 fl oz, 120 ml) light tasting olive oil or other mild oil - I like to use 50/50 olive oil and avocado oil.
salt and pepper
green of 2 green onions scissored thinly
2 tbsp (30ml) fresh parsley - a girlfriend likes fresh Tarragon instead.
zest of half an orange - if you used fresh oranges, clementines or satsumas, use their zest and juice.
Either fresh orange, clementine etc segmented or small can of mandarin oranges.
1. Put balsamic vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a container large enough to take vinaigrette and beets. Mix together.
2. Add olive oil, parsley and green onions. I then mix it all together using an immersion blender which chops the fresh herbs and thickens the vinaigrette. Taste vinaigrette by dipping in a piece of fresh lettuce. A vinaigrette which is very tangy on its own, can become very mild once it is added to lettuce and other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings, sweetness, etc.
3. Peel cooked beets. I cut them into ½ inch cubes using a fluted cutter for a prettier presentation. Add beets to half of the vinaigrette. Preferably leave beets in the dressing for a few hours for flavors to develop. You can cut beets just with a knife then use a heart shaped cutter to cut out heart shape.
To Serve.
Divide shredded Romaine, butter lettuce etc between 2 plates.
Top with beets in vinaigrette.
I top mine with a slice of mild goats cheese. My husband prefers Feta cheese. Brie or a slice of fresh mozzarella would be tasty. Or no cheese at all, your choice, the salad is still excellent.
Add some slices of orange.
I like to add some chopped nuts for crunch, or caramelized pecans or almonds. Or else buy some nut brittle and crush it, honey roasted nuts or just chopped cashews or other nuts.
Finish with a drizzle of orange vinaigrette.
