Beetroot and strawberry carpaccio
A carpaccio is a bit of a fancy name that usually refers to finely sliced meat, in this instance it just means a salad where the vegetables are thinly sliced and arranged in a flat layer on the serving dish or plate with a drizzle of dressing over the top. This version has strong dessert vibes with sweet strawberries, a lavender honey dressing and a sprinkle of cacao nibs over the top - not to mention the earthy but sweet roasted beetroots. In fact when I served it to my friend Lucie she suggested I add a dollop of mascarpone on top and serve it as pudding - maybe I will!
Personally I love the combination of sweet and savoury and this salad would hold up really well against some strong flavours - I served it with a lemony and rosemary roast chicken but I can see it working beautifully with a duck breast (plenty of salt and pepper on the skin), with smoked fish or as a starter with a really good goat’s cheese!
Serves 4 (as a side or a starter)
500g beetroots (a mix of red and golden is nice if possible)
200g strawberries
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus a little extra to cook the beetroot)
½ lemon (juice only)
1 teaspoon honey
2 sprigs of lavender (or about a teaspoon dried lavender), plus a few lavender flowers
10g mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cacao nibs (or use toasted hazelnuts or pumpkin seeds instead)
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Wash the beetroots well, but do not peel them. Toss them in a drizzle of olive oil and salt and then either wrap them individually in tin foil and put them on a baking tray or put them in an ovenproof dish with a lid on. Put them in the oven and roast for 45 minutes to 90 minutes. They are ready when they can be pierced easily with a knife. The length of time it takes to cook beetroot varies depending on their size how fresh they are.
Allow the beetroot to cool and them peel off their skins. Sometimes the skins slip off easily and sometimes they need to be helped along with a knife or a peeler. Slice the beetroot into thin rounds, as thinly as you can manage.
Hull the strawberries and slice thinly.
To make the dressing combine the olive oil, lemon juice and honey in a small bowl. Remove the lavender buds/flowers from their stems and chop very finely. Remove the mint leaves from their stems and chop finely. Reserve a few small mint leaves to garnish. Add the lavender and mint to the dressing, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Taste and add more lemon juice, honey or seasoning as desired.
Put the sliced beets in a bowl and pour over ½ dressing. Toss the beets in the dressing and once coated arrange on a serving plate. Put the strawberries in the bowl and add ¼ dressing. Again, toss the strawberries in the dressing and then arrange on top of the beetroot on the serving plate.
Drizzle the final ¼ dressing over the top of the salad and then sprinkle over the reserved mint leaves, lavender flowers, and the cacao nibs (or nuts/seeds). Serve within a few hours of making.