Chioggia beet salad

Lately, I’m on a quest to eat more of the foods I don’t usually eat a lot. Even though I like the flavor of beets I only rarely put them on my grocery list.

The same goes with other vegetables and fruits but I am now doing a conscious effort to pay more attention to those neglected treasures. Especially when they are at their prime and are being sold at the market way cheaper than other, fancier vegetables.

The other day, purely by chance, I came across this type of beet, the Chioggia beet. I have never eaten it before and was dazzled by the red-fuscia and white rings when I saw it cut open and displayed at the market.

I had to have them. And so I did. As soon as I got home, I did a little research online and realized that if I cooked them, they would lose those cute rings and become pinkish-red instead. I couldn’t have that. I wanted to see those rings decorate my plate. We eat first with our eyes after all and I wanted this to be a feast for the eyes as well as for the appetite.

I decided to make a salad. A full-on delicious salad for Sunday lunch with goat’s cheese, pistachios, rocket leaves, dill and white balsamic vinaigrette. A perfectly balanced salad both flavor- and texture-wise.

Creamy, soft and slightly tangy cheese, raw, crunchy, earthy beets, toasty, nutty pistachios, fresh, bitter rocket, herbaceous dill and a zing from the vinaigrette tingling the palate, with the extra virgin olive oil smoothing all the flavors and making those bicolored beets look even more tempting.

Chioggia Beet Salad with Goat’s Cheese and Pistachios

The Chioggia beet hails from Northern Italy. It has a similar flavor to the regular red beet but it’s a tad sweeter and milder. If you can’t find them, use red beets.
The good thing about Chioggia beets is that they don't stain like the red ones, so you can handle them with less caution.

I chose white balsamic (like in this salad) because I didn’t want to stain the beautiful beets. You can use a champagne or a white wine vinegar instead.

It pairs perfectly with a grilled or poached piece of fish, or you can have it on its own for a light lunch or supper.

Yield: 4 salad servings or 2 lunch servings

Ingredients

for the vinaigrette
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp caster sugar
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper

for the salad
50 g rocket leaves
2 large chioggia beets
60 g fresh soft goat’s cheese
2-3 Tbsp shelled, unsalted pistachios
A handful of fresh dill leaves, chopped

Special equipment: mandoline (optional)


Preparation

make the vinaigrette
In a small bowl, add the olive oil, the vinegar and the sugar. Mix well with a fork or a small whisk. Add some salt and pepper and give the vinaigrette a taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

make the salad
Add pistachios to a dry, small pan and place over medium heat. Toast nuts, stirring regularly so they don’t burn, until they become fragrant. Empty them immediately onto a plate and once cooled, chop them with a knife.

Rinse the rocket leaves under cold running water, drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Toss them with 1 Tbsp of the vinaigrette.

Peel the beets and thinly slice them using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Toss them with 2 Tbsp of the vinaigrette.

Arrange the dressed rocket leaves on a plate and arrange the dressed beets on top. Crumble the goat’s cheese on top and scatter the pistachios and dill over the salad. Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the salad.
Serve immediately.

Other recipes with beets:
Greek Beetroot Purée with Potatoes and Walnuts
Purple and Golden Beet Chips with Spicy Sour Cream Dip