I have been longing to make this salad for a very long time because beetroot and goat cheese is such a great combination. Even though this pairing is popular I was still able to add something new to this classic dish. I went to the supermarket prepared with my list and excited to have a healthy lunch. It was after 12 in the afternoon and there were no pomegranates in sight, which I was planning on using for colour, texture and for a taste of sweet yet tart. I was about to get in a strop but then after looking around the fruit section for a second time I saw passion fruit. I am not sure if I have told you how much I LOVE passion fruit. Anything that is passion fruit flavour I get excited, from ice-cold sorbet to velvety curd spread on fresh bread, if there is an item on a menu that includes passion fruit I am likely to order and don’t even get me started about passion fruit juice. The fruit is sweet and so tart it tingles. The fact that in each passion fruit there is barely anything to eat somehow make me want it even more. My love for passion fruit was sealed in Vietnam during Miss Universe because there would be buffets (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) where I would have access to unlimited amounts of passion fruit without a lot of competition considering most of the other contestants either didn’t know what it was or didn’t care to eat it.
Beetroot Salad
Passion Fruit
I digress. Without any pomegranate I was drawn to the passion fruit and put one in my basket not knowing if it would work in the salad. I refused to buy nuts for this salad because that felt so cliché and the aim of this post wasn’t to copy another recipe but allow my creative juices to flow in taste and appearance. I am happy to say that I ended up with art on a plate. Photographing this dish and its ingredients was so much fun for me that I hope you forgive the overload of pictures and can see where I’m coming from. The salad can be an appetizer or a main, the flavours all work magically together, the beetroot’s earthiness has an almost meaty characteristic, the citrus vinaigrette was light and the passion fruit was pretty, crunchy and tangy enough to wake up your taste buds.
Beetroot, Goat Cheese, Citrus Salad
Beetroot, Goat Cheese, Citrus Salad
Beet Salad
Live, Love, Eat!
April x
- 2 medium beets
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 cups of baby spinach and arugula (about 2 large handfuls)
- 1 passion fruit
- 1.5 oz goat cheese
- 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- Prepare your beets by washing them thoroughly, removing all the hairs and cutting them into halves. Crush your garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife, add these and beets into boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes, until a fork can pierce your beets easily.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven at 450 degrees F.
- For the dressing, cut the orange in half and juice (about 2 tbsps). Mix orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar and set aside. With the other half of the orange, peel and cut into slivers to dress you salad.
- By now the beets should have cooked, place them into the oven for 10 minutes before putting them into an ice bath to cool.
- Dress your green with the dressing and plate with your orange slivers, crumbled goat cheese.
- Remove your beets from the water, cut into smaller pieces and lay over your greens and just before you are ready to serve top the salad with passion fruit.
Making this! But without the passion fruit of course…so I don’t asphyxiate