SALADE DE BETTERAVES
13 September 2007
{BEETROOT SALAD} STOP!!!! Please don’t leave ….. beetroot can also be delicious. No this is not a joke, and yes I too started out as a prominent member of the ‘tortured beet eaters’, as my mother, a health conscious, vegetable loving woman used to serve her children cooked or pickled beets. Now while nutritious I found them anything but delicious.
So you can imagine my anxiety when I first visited Olivier (my fiancé) in Geneva, and at the local farmers market he popped a bunch of freshly picked garden beets into the basket and said ‘je te fait une salade de betteraves, tu vas voir c’est délicieux’ (I will make you a beetroot salad, you will see it is delicious!) Delicious… is he crazy, oh god, can we give them back, can I sneak them out of the basket… how am I to get out of this. We left the market with the beets in tow and I prepared myself for the worst – that childhood feeling of being unable to swallow, the smell of pickled vinegar and that slightly odd texture.
However, a pleasant surprise was awaiting me – as the salad he made resembled nothing of the beetroot of my childhood. These beets were a vibrant red, shaved into thin strips, and served raw, glistening with vinaigrette. They tasted sweet and tart at the same time, with a crisp, crunchy texture. So good was this salad that I thought I would pass along my version of the recipe….
RECIPE - SWEET PEA BLOG
- 3 fresh garden beetroots (430g)
- 4 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smooth dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon soya sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- First remove the leaves, stalks and bottom of each beet. Next peel the beets and then grate them using a medium sized grater (if grated too finely the consistency of the salad will not be as nice) and set aside.
- Coarsely chop the parsley and set aside.
- Next prepare the vinaigrette by mixing at the ingredients together. Add to the grated beets and mix well.
- Finally add the parsley, leaving a few leaves for decoration.
NOTE: I make a large quantity of the vinaigrette as it is quickly absorbed into the salad. The taste is also strong to compliment the beets.
13 September 2007 at 8:47 pm
I had a pack of betteraves in the frig and I wondering what I do whit it.You gave me a great idea.Thanks and your blog is so nice
14 September 2007 at 7:08 am
My mother used to “pickle” beets in vinegar or serve them cooked with a dash of butter, salt and pepper and I loved both variations. I must say however, having just checked your Salad aux Betteraves with the interesting combination of vinaigrette dressing a la Olivier, my taste buds came alive with the anticipation of savouring this salad! Always fun to try new twists on a very healthy vegetable and the picture makes one want to give it a go.
14 September 2007 at 7:11 am
SYLVIA: hi thanks for your sweet comment
I too often end up with extra veggies in the fridge (the farmers market gets the better of me every weekend, you would think I would learn… there are only so many fruits and vegetables 2 people can eat in a week!) So I am always on the look out for suggestions. Look forward to reading your blog.
MA: well now that I have discovered raw beetroot, perhaps I will go back and try the pickled and cooked version. Russian salad often uses these types of beets, perhaps I am missing out on something great!
14 September 2007 at 12:44 pm
The beetroot looks so beautiful, I was wondering, do u do anything with the leafy green part? Your vinagrette sounds like it will go great with almost any type of salad. Do u eat this salad on its own or is there anything that it eswpecially compliments?
14 September 2007 at 1:12 pm
Hi Farhan,
I have not yet done this myself, but you can apparently steam the green leaves of young beetroot and eat them as a vegetable.
As for the vinaigrette, it is a little stronger than I use on normal salad, but works nicely with the beets, which I eat either on their own as a starter, or along side grilled fish ie tuna and couscous.
18 September 2007 at 9:09 am
Just to add, that you can also eat the leafy green part of the beetroot chopped up in a salad – it is best if the beetroot is young so the leaves will be tender.
PS nice photo
18 September 2007 at 11:24 am
hi lovely,
Sent you the recipe for chocolate macaroons – try them and let me know they are absolutely yummy
Have fun baking
Lxx
18 September 2007 at 3:33 pm
OLIVIER: thanks for the suggestion, Farhan might find this useful
LAURA: this is great, thanks for the recipe, I copied and moved it to my files! Will post the recipe + story once I have tried it, can’t wait!!! xxx
2 November 2007 at 6:05 pm
This looks great! I will definitely try it.
I apologize for not getting back to you earlier about my blog, RawLifestyle. I have decided to delete the blog since I have less time than I expected. I will thus not be continuing to work on a website to replace the blog.
If you are looking for another “similar” raw blog, I would advise you to check out The Daily Raw. Many other recipes can be found at GLiving.com and GoneRaw.com
I wish you the best and thanks for your previous support!
Kind regards,
Caroline