Salads
Beetroot and nectarine salad
This is a quick, sweet-and-tangy salad with a lovely range of colours and textures – crunchy seeds, crisp salad leaves, tender, yielding beets and juicy nectarine. If you'd like to further contrast the sweetness, crumble over a little soft blue cheese, such as gorgonzola.
Ingredients
main
- 1 bunch beetroot (4 medium)
- 3 nectarines, cut into slices
- 100g salad leaves
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
for the dressing
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp plain yoghurt or crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
main
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Place the whole, unpeeled beetroot in a baking dish, add a couple of centimetres of water, cover tightly with foil and bakefor about 1 hour, longer if necessary (large beetroot can take 1 ½-2 hours), until tender. Remove from the oven and leave until just cool enough to handle, then rub off the skins.
Make the dressing
-
Step 1
by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking together. Cut the beetroot and nectarines into wedges and toss with the salad leaves, pumpkin seeds and dressing.