With warm weather coming, start switching out your soups for delicious and filling salads. Rosie Daykin brings us this delightful Beet, Blackberry and Buckwheat Salad. Found in her book The Side Gardner, this salad is colourful, tasty and nourishing.
Beet, Blackberry & Buckwheat Salad
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
For Salad
- 1 large or 2 medium beets
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 handful hazelnuts
- ½ cup/85 g dried buckwheat
- 1 cup/150 g fresh blackberries
- 1 big handful fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
- 1 cup/250 ml labneh or plain Greek yogurt
- Lemon zest, to serve
For Dressing
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
To make the salad
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Rinse any dirt or debris off the beets and trim the tops and bottoms. Place the beets on a sheet of foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with half of the salt and the pepper. Wrap them inside the foil and place directly on the oven rack to roast until fork tender, approximately 45 minutes.
2. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet or small baking pan and pop in the oven with the beets for 5 minutes, until they are lightly roasted and fragrant. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the nuts to sit until they are cool enough to roughly chop. Don’t worry about removing their skins; I like the added colour they provide.
3. Remove the beets from the oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Remove the skins of the beets and cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces. Transfer the cut beets to a large bowl.
4. Fill a small saucepan with 1 cup/250 ml of water, the buckwheat, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, put the lid on, and allow the buckwheat to cook for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Lift the lid, place a clean folded tea towel across the top of the pot, and replace the lid. Allow the buckwheat to steam for about 5 minutes more. Remove the lid and fluff the buckwheat with a fork.
5. Set the pot aside until the buckwheat has cooled and then add it to the beets.
6. Add the chopped nuts, blackberries, and torn mint to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and using a large spoon, toss to combine.
To make the dressing
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk until well combined. Dress the salad and toss it all again.
2. Use a spoon to spread the labneh or Greek yogurt across the bottom of a large serving platter. Top with the salad and sprinkle with lemon zest to serve.
