Beetroot salad with pickled shallots & pumpkin seeds
We’ve grown a lot of beetroot this year. I never really ate it before I started growing it, but now it’s a real staple in my kitchen. I cooked them in the slow cooker for the first time when making this cheery pink and white salad. I thought they might take the whole day to cook - but it was surprisingly quick. Definitely a technique for the future.
Serves 4 as a side
2 small purple beetroot
2 small shallots
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon soft brown sugar
pinch of salt
30g pumpkin seeds
100g feta (optional)
100g mixed salad leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
small choggia beetroot, to garnish
Wash and roast your purple beetroot. Peel it once they are cool enough to handle and set it aside. (I put my beetroot whole, and unpeeled in slow cooker with a splash of olive oil, sprinkle of salt and splash of water. They were beautifully soft after 3 hours on the medium setting).
Peel the shallots and slice very thinly into rounds.
Put the shallots in a small bowl and add the vinegar, mustard, sugar & pinch of salt. Mix well so the shallots break up into rings and the mustard is mixed in. Leave this for at least 10 minutes for the shallots to mellow and soften.
Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan and set aside once slightly brown.
Break up the feta into small pieces (if you’re using it).
Slice the beetroot into half-rounds
When you’re ready to plate up your salad, pour the liquid off your shallots into a jar. Add the olive to the jar and shake. Use this to dress your salad leaves and the beetroot.
Assemble the salad by layering up the leaves, beetroot, shallots, feta and pumpkin seeds. Finish with shavings of raw choggia beetroot (I use a potato peeler) for a ridiculously fun garnish.
We ate this salad with chilli con carne and rice!
