Simple beet salad refined with pistachios. The deep red of the beets is accented with brilliant green chives and basil.
I got a food delivery that included a lot of red beets. Usually, I’d jump to making a stew, or soup, but I already had my mains for dinner planned. I took the chance to create a red beet salad, something I haven’t done in a long time.
The basics of the salad are always the same: cook the beets, chop, add oil and vinegar. Unfortunately, I was having a hard time getting a decent photo of this, even with the added green herbs. Something was still missing. I decided I’d try adding some nuts to the plate. The irregular shape of pistachios was a nice contrast to the blocky beets. After the picture, I had a taste and was pleasantly surprised at the combination. Thus, my red beet salad has pistachios.
You can probably add two, or even three times as many nuts. I stopped at what seemed like a minimum amount. Not every bite will include a nut, providing varying textures as you eat.
Yes, I think about the composition of spoonfuls when I cook. Slicing the beets, I try to imagine how many pieces will fit on a fork, and how they’ll feel in the mouth. If it’s too big, you’ll get only a single boring piece, and if chopped too fine you’ll no longer notice the nice beet texture. Getting a feel for this can greatly improve your cooking.
Now, go and slice those beets into a lush red salad.
Red Beet with Pistachio Salad
Ingredients
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1 kilogramRed Beet
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30 g 2 tablespoonextra virginOlive Oil
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30 g 2 tablespoonBalsamic Vinegar
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50 g 7 tablespoonshelledRoasted and sodiumed Pistachios
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4 teaspoonChives
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20 leavesBasil
Equipment
- pots
- stove
- mixing bowl
Directions
Cook Beets
- Place beets in a pot
- Fill with enough water to cover the beets
- Bring to a boild
- Reduce heat to a simmer
- Let boil for 45min to an hour, until beets are soft (can be poked with a toothpick)
- Remove from water
- Let cool, peel and clean the beets
Prepare
- Cut the beets into strips, about 5mm thick
- Add beets to a mixing bowl
- Add oil and vinegar to the mixing bowl, mix
- Shell the pistachios
- Chop the chives and basil
- Add chives and basic to the mixing bowl, mix
- Add the pistachios and mix, or add them on top of the beets when serving