Charred Cauliflower, Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad
You can either barbecue or simply roast your beetroot. You can barbecue your cauliflower too, or shove it under the grill or dry fry on a griddle. The options are myriad. You could also cook the beetroots earlier in the day and set aside. The flavour is severely muted if you keep them in the fridge thereafter though.
All the greens can be switched up with what is available. I used kale as I had some in the fridge. Rocket or any other deep green leafy lettuces of any description will work well. I reckon even broccoli florets or tenderstem at a pinch.
All the greens can be switched up with what is available. I used kale as I had some in the fridge. Rocket or any other deep green leafy lettuces of any description will work well. I reckon even broccoli florets or tenderstem at a pinch.
Persons
4
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time
1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 medium beetroots
- 1/2 a cauliflower
- 200g curly kale or other green leafy vegetable
- 1 whole, very firm, green-skinned cucumber
- 3 garlic cloves
- sprig or fresh rosemary
- 1 "buche" or "log" of goats cheese OR white flavoursome cheese. (halloumi, feta etc.)
- 1 50g bunch of Thai or regular basil
- For the dressing
- the squished-out inside of your 3 garlic cloves (above)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- a squeeze of lemon (according to your taste)
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
- 3 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- 8 zig-zags of thick balsamic vinegar (equivalent to about 3 tbsp)
Instructions
- Depending on how you wish to char your cauliflower, either turn on your grill or griddle.
- Also turn on your oven to 170° for the beetroot.
- Strip the green outer leaves and any woody protrusions from your head of cauliflower. Remove any blemishes on the white part, rinse.
- Place your scrubbed, topped and tailed beets in a baking pan, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with Maldon and a few twists of pepper.
- Add your 3, lightly bashed garlic cloves and your sprig of rosemary, torn into mini-sprigs, to the baking pan/ oven dish.
- Place in the oven.
- With a large, sharp cooking knife slice the cauliflower head in to inch thick (2cm) "steaks". Some small, unconnected pieces of floret will fall away. I like to lightly char these separately at the end and throw them in to the salad. You should have about 4 "steaks" escalating in diameter.
- Drizzle the cauliflower all over with good olive oil and sprinkle with Maldon.
- Put on a tray under your pre-heated grill or on your griddle or even on a dry hot pan and leave for a good 5 minutes or so.
- Check to see how brown it is, turn to char the other side. When blistering in several places on both sides but not burnt, remove and place in a bowl to cool. (If you combine too soon with the leaves, they will wilt and lose their colour).
- Wash and strip down your fresh kale leaves. Remove the woody stalks, tear the leaves into roughly 2-3 inch square bits. Spin in a spinner or shake dry and add to your bowl of choice.
- Wash and top and tail the cucumber and cut in half lengthways, and then again lengthways to make quarters when cut in cross-sections. This should yield 1-2cm-square chunks. Add the cucumber to the leaves.
- Check on your beetroot. The skins should be crisping up beautifully meaning it is time to turn down your oven to 120°.
- Chop your cheese into chunks,(NB: if you are doing halloumi, I would suggest adding it freshly fried just before serving the salad by quickly slicing it into 1cm strips and frying in a little oil in a frying pan. Halloumi has a tendency to go quite hard and rubbery if not eaten warm)
- Now that the cauliflower is cool enough to handle, break it up into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl of leaves.
- Rip up your rinsed and dried basil and add to the bowl.
- When your beetroots can be pierced through with the tines of a fork or a pointy knife, they are done. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and once not burning hot, peel them gently, the skins should be baggy and easy to remove. Slice them and chop in to half lenghtways so the discs of beetroot are small enough to eat without a knife.
- Add them to the serving bowl, combine everything and drizzle with the dressing ingredients, stir and as a finishing touch add a few sprigs of herbs and a another zig zag of balsamic.
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