Sommer Beetesalat – summery beet salad

serves 4, vegetarian (warum ist dieser Beitrag in Englisch?)

This is a loose interpretation of my mothers beet salad German style. The summer bit means, that the beet greens are sold with the beets which happens only in summer around here. They make a lovely addition to the salad. I also added some fresh peas that where lingering in my vegetable drawer, the color made the salad look pretty, but those are optional. The cumin should definately be roasted, it adds that extra twist and isn’t hard to do at all. Just heat a small pan, mine is cast iron but any will do, without oil in it. Roast the cumin seed until an aromatic scent fills the kitchen, be careful not to burn it (I stir it constantly with a wooden spoon). Let cool and grind with a mortar and pestle.

1    bunch beets, red pink or gold or a mixture of all three , with greens attached
1    cup freshly shucked peas (optional)
6 oz (200g)    feta cheese, diced into 1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes

dressing
1   small red onion, finely minced
2 1/2   tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 1/2    tbsp olive oil
1 1/2    tbsp cumin seed, toasted and ground (see above)
Salt and pepper to taste

1/4    cup sunflower seeds, toasted until golden in a dry pan

Wash the beets and beet greens separate. Cook the beets in salted water to cover until tender approximately 30 minutes depending on size. Use a fork or knife to test doneness, let cool slightly and rub off the skins and tails. Cut beets into 1/8″ thick wedges and set aside. Meanwhile cut the leaves off the stems and cook both separately for about 5 minutes in a fresh pot of boiling salt water. When done strain through a sieve, cool down with running tap water and chop into bite size pieces (see picture). Cook peas the same way, if using.

In a serving bowl mix the dressing ingredients well, add the beet slices and greens and gently toss everything. Add the peas if using, toss angain. I added the feta in the end to avoid staining it pink but that also looks kind of nice, up to you to decide. Sprinkle with the toasted sunflower seeds and serve immediately. It also keeps well in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve (for up to a day) in that case I would keep the cheese and sunflower seed seperate and add when serving.