A different take on the beet salad, the theme of which is usually bitter greens sourly dressed, with roasted beets and perhaps also a fresh sour cheese. Different but similar elements may combine along the same lines, and here is an example, using watermelon radishes along with beets. These radishes are similar to turnip (rutabaga) but not as tough. Still, they are not like salad radishes and can certainly be baked; they are too tough to eat sliced in salad. Black radishes, on the other hand, are much tougher and would not work properly in this recipe.
Somehow the inclusion of the funky, turnipy radish in this salad made me really want a toasty element, and so I toasted pepitas nice and brown, and the crispy crunch and excellent toasty flavor really helped to tie everything together, from soft cheese through sour salad leaves to sweet, al-dente roasted roots. So be bold with your toasting but don’t let them burn!
Seeing as this recipe was created in response to a random food selection from a CSA program, it is all about using what it lying about. We use feta in this recipe, but chevre would also work, as would just about any sufficiently sour cheese, including cheddar which is quite sour. We use red beets which are both sweet and also really profound in flavor because of all the anthocyanin. Different but also enjoyable results may be achieved by using golden or candy-cane beets in this recipe, either of which would produce a really striking finished appearance.
Makes enough for 3-4 people.
Equipment:
• sheet pan (lined, optionally)
• large mixing bowl
• pie tin or other dish for roasting pepitas
• tongs
• peeler
• fork
Ingredients:
6-8 cup salad greens arugula, mesclun, frisee, etc
1-2 ea watermelon radish or similar
1-2 ea beets
2-4 oz feta crumbled
1⁄4 cup pepitas shelled pumpkin seeds
5-6 sprig thyme leaves stripped and minced fine
2 Tbsp vinegar your favorite salad vinegar
1-2 Tbsp olive oil less oil w/ bitter greens
to taste salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Peel radishes and beets.
3. Cut radishes and beets into similarly-sized pieces, appropriate for salad.
4. In the mixing bowl, toss the beet and radish pieces with a little cooking oil and salt and pepper, and spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
5. Place the pan of root veg in the center of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, turning the pan around once.
6. Test the veg with a fork and if it seems too tough let it cook a bit longer; remember that it will carry over a bit once it comes out.
7. While the root veg is roasting, clean and dry the salad greens if need be.
8. To prepare the dressing, add the vinegar and finely minced thyme to the (clean) mixing bowl.
9. Add the oil to the vinegar.
10. Whip thoroughly, until the dressing is loosely emulsified; it will break – this is expected.
11. Place the pepitas in the pie tin and let them toast; at 400F they only need maybe ten minutes at most.
12. Keep a close eye on the pepitas, tossing them in their pan every couple of minutes. Once they look toasty and smell awesome, take them out.
13. It is okay to take the root veg out of the oven and let it start to cool a bit while finishing the pepitas.
14. Once the root veg have cooled down some (remove them to a second mixing bowl or cold plate if need be to cool them faster in hot environments), start assembling the salad. Warm roots are fine and enjoyable; hot roots willwilt the salad and be kinda nasty, unless really resilient greens such as frisee are used.
15. Toss the salad leaves in the dressing.
16. Salt and pepper the salad.
17. Toss the toasted pepitas into the salad. If they’re really hot the salad will cool them down fast but perhaps toss them in the air a bit first to cool them down some.
18. Mix the salad thoroughly then divide it onto plates.
19. Top the salad greens with roasted root veg chunks and crumbled feta.
Music: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
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