Beetroot, Radish and Swiss Chard Salad

If you’re after a salad that’s easy to make a lot of, full of flavour and colour, and a great addition to a table full of food at a party or gathering, then look no further. This recipe came about as another use for all the chard we harvested a while ago, which can be sautéed or steamed for this salad, and a means to use up the last of my pickled radish, which you can find the recipe for by clicking here. Besides that, there isn’t really much else to say about this recipe. It’s sweet, full of texture and lightly acidic. The addition of toasted hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds (crushed) add a much needed savouriness to compliment the sweetness of beetroot, and the texture of raw grated carrot and crunchy pickled radish really help elevate the softly cooked chard. Chuck in some flowers for good measure and you’ve got yourself a queen of salads.

Beets and Chard Salad Recipe
Serves 5-6 Sides

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 Medium carrots, grated

• 5-6 Large beetroot

• 200g Pickled radish

• 600g Swiss Chard

• 50g Hazelnuts, toasted and crushed

• 50g Pumpkin seeds, toasted and crushed

• 3 Pinches of smoked sea salt

• Borage and Nasturtium flowers

Dressing Ingredients:

• 30ml Cider vinegar, raw

• 40ml Dressing oil (I used an ecological olive oil)

• 1tsp Wholegrain mustard

• Optional: Maple syrup / apple concentrate to taste (bear in mind that beetroot will add sweetness too)

Step 1.

Clean the beetroot and put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them completely. Place them on a high heat until the water comes to the boil, then turn it down and place a lid on the pan to simmer until cooked. Depending on the size of your beetroot this will take between 20-40 minutes.

Step 2.

Whilst you wait for the beetroot to cook, preheat the oven at 190C / 375F. As it heats, prepare the carrots by cleaning and gating them. Set aside for later somewhere cool.

When the oven is hot, place the hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds on a baking tray with a pinch of salt and roast them for 10 minutes. Pop them straight into a pestle and mortar afterwards and crush until broken up but not completely smooth.

Step 3.

Wash and roughly chop your chard into 8cm / 3inch strips and either steam it in a colander over boiling water for 4 minutes or gently sauté in butter or oil for 3 minutes. When done, remove from the heat until needed.

Step 4.

The beetroot are cooked when a knife can be inserted with no effort. When this happens, run them under some cold water to cool them. Keep them in a pan of cold water and pull them out one at a time. You should be able to squeeze the skin loosely and pop the beetroot out. If you encounter any stubborn bits or the beetroot tops, use a turning knife to remove them. Do all this over the pan of water, regularly dipping your hands in to fetch the next beetroot, and you won’t end up stained purple.

Step 5.

Baton* cut the beetroot and place it in a mixing bowl. Add 2-3 pinches of smoked sea salt, the dressing ingredients, carrots, radish and chard one by one before mixing everything up by hand. Adding the dressing ingredients like this means the oil and vinegar don’t emulsify but mix with the beetroot juice in a visually beautiful way that doesn’t compromise the flavour. When plating up, sprinkle with a few big pinches of the hazelnut mix and flower petals.

*Baton is like a chip / potato wedge.