Beetroot and Feta Cheese Salad

Summer is approaching fast here in Chennai and temperatures are rising by the day. But that is nothing new for the people living here. I personally am not a summer person. I don't like temperatures above 35°C. My perfect temperature is 28°C but well, there are things we just have to live with.

A side effect of the hot summers in Chennai is that I don't like to spend much time in the kitchen. And therefore I stick to quick recipes which are light and tasty, preferable salads in any variety or home-made gourmet sandwiches. And of course light fresh fruit desserts. More about these another day.

One of my favourite vegetables is beetroot. It has a nice flavour, you can use it in a variety of dishes and it tastes well no matter if it is served cold or hot. This beetroot salad takes hardly 15 minutes to make. That is without the cooking time for the beetroot for which I don't have to be in the kitchen.

For 2 portions I take 4-5 medium sized beetroot. I cut away any green at the top and cook it in water until it starts getting soft but still has a crunch to it. Best is if you steam it over hot water. This way the beetroot looses less minerals and vitamins.

I drain the cooked beetroot and let it cool down a bit before I peel off the skin. To get the skin off I put on a pair of kitchen gloves and than roll the warm beetroot around between my hands. The skin comes off almost by itself. The kitchen gloves avoid that you are running around with purple hands for the next few days. After peeling I cut the beetroot into 1,5-2cm dices.

In a bowl I mix 1 table spoon cold pressed sunflower oil, 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 3 table spoons warm water, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1 pinch of salt. I cut 1 small onion into dices. I add the beetroot and the onion to the sauce, mix it well, cover it with cling foil and refrigerate it for about 1 hour before serving.

Just before serving I cut 100g Feta cheese into 0,3-0,5cm thick slices. On the plate I layer the beetroot with the Feta cheese, starting and ending with beetroot.

If you are less picky about the presentation you can just add the Feta cheese to the salad and combine all ingredients. Along with the salad I serve some fresh baguette.

Have a wonderful summer.

Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen.

Love

Carola