Feb 12

Feb 12 Warm Winter Vegetable Salad

Vegetarian & Plant Based, Small Plates and Sides, Food Inspirations, Everyday

As my family’s personal chef during lockdown, I have spent the last couple of months experimenting with new dishes which reduce our meat and fish intake and help us to eat more sustainably. I have been playing around with expanding the range of vegetables we are eating as well as trying to be as seasonal as possible.

The family rules if they are to agree to being experimented on:

Dishes must be full of flavour and, with teenagers in the house, filling enough to be really satisfying.

This Warm Winter Salad, is one of the dishes I have created which ticks those boxes. It makes the most of British produce and has won over even the most meat loving of my two teenagers.

I find this is a very relaxing way of cooking. Popping things into the oven with no extra cooking pots to manage and just a couple of simple dressings to mix couldn’t be easier. A lovely pottering around the kitchen kind of a dish which suits me just fine on a cold February weekend during lockdown.

The salad combines the deep flavours of winter beetroot lifted by an orange and dill dressing with nutty roast cauliflower tossed in lemon zest and chilli, nestling on a satisfyingly meaty bed of Puy lentils and fresh mixed British salad leaves.

A smattering of comforting toasted hazelnuts and spoonfuls of garlicy yoghurt and tahini sauce to finish the dish ties all the flavours together.

Serve with warm flatbreads to scoop up the last of the dressings from the plate.

Method

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 40 mins

Serves 4 as a lunch or 6 as a side dish.

Pre-heat the oven to 200c/108 fan/Gas Mark 6

Peel the beetroot and cut into segments. Place in a roasting tin, drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and place on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 mins.

While the beetroot is cooking, prepare the cauliflower by cutting it into florets. Place on a baking tray, toss in another tablespoon of oil and season well with salt and pepper. When the beetroot as 30 minutes left, place the cauliflower on the top shelf of the oven to cook. Check after 25 minutes, the cauliflower should be starting to brown but not black.

While the beetroot and cauliflower are cooking, prepare the hazelnuts, dressings and yoghurt sauce.

First, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and add to the oven for 5 minutes. Be careful not to leave them too long, as they catch easily. Take them out and leave them to cool.

For the cauliflower dressing, zest 1 lemon and finely chop the chilli. Put in a bowl together and set aside. For beetroot dressing, juice the orange and chop dill. Place in another bowl together with half a tablespoon of the remaining oil. Mix and set aside.

For the yoghurt and tahini sauce, combine the yoghurt and tahini in a bowl and grate the garlic into it. Season well with salt and pepper. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Taste to check the balance of tahini and seasoning and adjust if necessary.

See if the beetroot is ready by pushing a cutlery knife into it. It should go through easily. Then, add the orange and dill dressing to the tin and toss the beetroot until if is coated.

When the cauliflower has reached it’s just browned stage, take it out of oven and sprinkle over the lemon zest and juice and the chilli. Stir to make sure of a fairly even covering.

Crush the hazelnuts on a board with a rolling pin.

To assemble the dish, spread the salad leaves out on a large serving platter and sprinkle over the lentils. Drizzle with the remaining half a teaspoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Top with a layer of the beetroot, followed by the cauliflower. Scatter over the hazelnuts and finish off by spooning on the yoghurt and tahini sauce.

Serve with warm flat breads for a satisfying family lunch

It also works well as a side dish with oily fish such as salmon or mackerel as well as roasted meats.

Ingredients

2 large fresh beetroot

1 orange

1 large handful of dill

3/4 small cauliflower

1 red chilli

Zest of 1 lemon

Squeeze of lemon juice

20g blanched hazelnuts