Marinated Raw Red Beet Salad with Shredded Greens

The red beets included in this salad are nearly raw - they are not boiled or roasted as most of the recipes call for. They peeled and cut into chunks beets are just added to a hot marinade for some hours. Hot marinated beetroot is crisp, but not as hard as the raw one and it is packed full of flavor due to absorbing the taste of the marinade. All the important nutrients are preserved that way. Vinegar prevents the nice red color from leaking out and balances well with the clear sweetness of the honey.

So you get a salad which is healthy, beautiful and full of taste.

If you wanna try a delicious salad with raw red beet without marinade, I highly recommend you this one.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 raw medium beetroots
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tsp honey
• 1/2  tsp salt
• 4 handfuls shredded greens (rocket, green salad etc.)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Peel and dice beetroots.

Peel beetroots with a sharp knife and cut into 1.5cm (1/2-inch) dices.  Gloves are highly recommended if you do not want to color your hands.

Marinade the beetroots.

Place vinegar, salt and water in a saucepan and add the honey whisking gently with a spoon to incorporate. Turn heat to medium, cover with a lid and bring to a gentle simmer. When the liquid starts to simmer, add beetroot chunks, remove from heat and allow to cool for some hours. You can place it covered in the fridge and it will keep for several days. In fact it is a good idea to let beetroot marinade for a day or two before serving - it will taste even better than on the day of preparation. 

On the day of preparation the salad:

Toast pinenuts.

Spread pinenuts in a skillet on top of the stove and toast for 5 minutes on medium heat until lightly coloured. Set aside.

Prepare the salad.

Beetroot dices shall be at room temperature for the salad, so if you have refrigerated them, take them out of the fridge about half an hour in advance. Drain beets from the marinade, place on a paper cloth and pat dry gently. Put beetroot chunks in a bowl.

Add crushed garlic clove to the cup with olive oil and let soak for 10 minutes. Strain and add garlic-infused oil to the beetroot cubes. Stir to incorporate well.

Put salad leaves on a large serving platter.

Top with roasted beets and scatter the toasted pinenuts and crumbled Feta on top. Drizzle with some additional oil if needed.

Season with pepper and salt and serve.