There's something quite delicious about the sweet, earthy flavours of beetroot married with the creamy, salty flavours of feta cheese. The two work wonderfully together. As part of any Middle Eastern feast, I'll invariably include beetroot somewhere. It's one of my favourite vegetables and very versatile.
Preheat oven to 200ºC. Chop off the beetroot stalks but leave on the skin. Wrap each beetroot individually in cooking foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 40-60 minutes (depending on size) until soft. Cool for 20 minutes. Gently slip off the skins with your fingers - they should come off easily. Cut into small chunks, cover and cool to room temperature.Once cooled, combine with 1 tbsp of vinegar and a little salt & pepper and set aside.
Combine the herbs with 2 tbsp vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil and blend using a stick blender until semi-smooth. Set aside.
Arrange the cooled beetroot in a single layer on a platter. Crumble over the feta cheese and then drizzle over the herb dressing.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
This salad is versatile in all of the ingredients it uses. Switch up some of them to create new and interesting flavours.
Beetroot - Red or yellow are fine, or a combo of both.
Herbs - For a variety of flavour, try fresh mint, tarragon, oregano, marjoram or basil. You could also use dried mint, dill or basil.
Nuts - a little crunch is great in the form of nuts. I like pistachio, pine nuts, almonds or sunflower seeds.
This salad will stay fresh in the fridge (well covered) for 3-4 days. It's not a contender for freezing.Serve alongside many Middle Eastern or Mediterranean style dishes. It goes with pretty much everything like fish, meat, poultry or other plant-based delights.