Fennel & Beetroot Salad With Sage Dressing

This beetroot salad recipe is great for late spring through to the autumn, when Florence (bulb) fennel and beetroot are in season. In the earlier part of the season, you can add the optional broad beans for even more depth of flavour.

It’s a deliciously crunchy and refreshing salad – not to mention the many health benefits of beetroot!

Like many recipes for raw beetroot, this one works best with smaller, sweeter beetroot, rather than larger roots, which can be woody. As ever, the key to the taste is fresh ingredients!

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a main dish

3-4 small, raw beetroot
1 medium fennel bulbs
½ head of green lettuce or equivalent leaves
100g shelled broad beans (optional)
handful of sprouted seeds / pulses (optional)

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
About 10 sage leaves, torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon cider vinegar (preferably unpasteurised)
salt & pepper to taste, if wanted

Method

• Broad beans: some people find the flavour too strong when they’re raw. If you want to cook them a little, plunge them into boiling water for maximum 1 minute and then drain and plunge into cold water, to stop any further cooking. Alternatively, you can serve them raw in this recipe.
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• Trim the stalks and root of the Florence fennel bulb and then slice the bulb very finely – ideally using a mandoline slicer.
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• Wash the beetroot root. There’s no need to peel it unless it’s not organic. Grate it on a cheese grater – be aware this can be a bit messy. If you prefer, you can slice it with the mandoline.
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• Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together. If you have time, you can make this several hours ahead, to allow the sage flavour to infuse.
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• Wash the lettuce leaves and drain well. Tear into ‘fork-sized’ pieces. Arrange on the individual plates.
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• Mix together the fennel, beetroot and dressing. Arrange on top of the lettuce leaves.
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• Scatter the broad beans on top of the fennel mixture and then top with the sprouted seeds / pulses. Serve immediately.

Time From Cupboard To Table

About 15 minutes.

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Variations on Fennel & Beetroot Salad With Sage Dressing

If you fancy some variety, you can replace the apple cider vinegar in the dressing with fresh orange juice, for an even more summery feel.

If you don’t have any sage leaves, then thyme leaves work equally well. Make sure you pull all the leaves off the stalks, as the stalks can get stuck in your throat if you eat them by accident!

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With love, Namaste,




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