The blistering bank holiday heatwave saw many of us turn to lighter, healthier options at mealtimes, so we thought we continue with some creative and delicious vegetarian options for the next couple of weeks. To kick off, this creamy goats’ cheese and beautiful beetroot combination is the perfect match for California walnuts – whip up this easy salad for lunch, dinner or a side dish and watch it disappear.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Serves: 4, to share
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized beetroots (1 golden and 1 purple makes a pretty colour combination)
- A little olive oil
- 40g California walnuts
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 20g breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 X 100g pieces of goats’ cheese
- 40ml walnut oil
- 15ml cider vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 tsp orange blossom honey
- 1 head of radicchio
Method
Place the beetroot into a small saucepan of salted boiling water over a medium heat and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until tender. Drain and leave to cool a little before rubbing off the skin with your fingers.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, line a flat baking tray with foil and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Roughly chop the walnuts and 1 sprig of the rosemary, mix with the bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl, dip the goats’ cheese into the egg, place into the walnut bread crumb mixture and toss lightly to coat.
Place the goats’ cheese onto the baking tray and push a rosemary sprig into the centre of each. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the nuts are toasted and the goats’ cheese is soft and melty inside.
Whisk together the walnut oil, cider vinegar, lemon juice, orange zest and honey and season to taste.
Slice the beetroot as thinly as possible with a sharp knife or mandolin. Take 2 medium sized plates and lay the beetroot in a thin layer.
Separate the radicchio leaves and lay on top of the beetroot, then drizzle each plate with the dressing.
Top each plate with a baked goats’ cheese to serve.
About the Author / Gareth Hargreaves
Gareth looks after all editorial content on 50connect. He is the Swiss Army knife of content ideas and production.
