Beetroot belongs to the same family as chard and spinach, and while the most common variety is purple beetroot you can also get white, golden and candy beetroot, the last of which has white and pink rings inside.
You can eat the leaves and root raw as well as cooked or pickled too, so there are plenty of options.
This particular salad - a contrast of salty feta and sweet beetroot - is simple and quick to make, and can be augmented with golden raisins and halved walnuts for even more flavour.
Pickled beetroot and feta salad
Serves 4
4 purple beetroots
600ml water
100ml white wine vinegar
50ml olive oil
40g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
150g feta, cut into small chunks
1tbsp clear honey
4tbsp pine nuts
200g baby mixed salad leaves (optional)
Peel the beetroots and cut them into 1cm cubes. Place the water, vinegar, olive oil, caster sugar and salt in a large pan and bring it to a simmer. Add the beetroot to the liquor and cook for 30 minutes.
When the cubes are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and leave the beetroot to cool down in the liquor. Once cool, strain the beetroot cubes from the liquor and place them in a bowl along with the feta, honey, feta and pine nuts then mix together.
Add the salad leaves if using, toss well and serve.
WINE MATCH
2011 Fleurie, Chapel Des Bois (Raeburn Fine Wines, £13)
A light wine with flavours of banana and strawberry.
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