Beetroot Carpaccio
Beetroot Carpaccio looks fabulous on the plate, it is easy to make, tastes great and is vegetarian.
I use the term Carpaccio, loosely. Technically, carpaccio is paper-thin slices of raw beef arranged around a salad of roquette [baby arugula], capers, onion radish.. whatever insalata takes your fancy. Here, I’ve cheekily interpreted it replacing the beef for thin slices of beetroot. For this to even closely fall under my interpretation, the beetroot would have to be raw. When we had our contract catering company, we used to serve this, and some people objected to the ‘earthiness’ of the raw beetroot- prepare and serve it either way, raw or flashed briefly and refreshed.
Beetroot has long been known to improve blood flow and heart function, but that’s not all this modest root vegetable can do! The Queen of Superfoods, beetroot contributes to healthy bones, boosts your energy, promotes joint flexibility, is a powerful antioxidant and may help improve your brain power. That gives us even more reasons to like this dish!
Mix up the beetroot in this recipe, by using a candy-cane striped variety paired with golden beetroot for a sensational looking dish. The thinner you can slice the beetroot, the better the visual- also note, that if you do decide to flash the beetroot, some of the texture and vagaries may not be as distinctive. Either way, Beetroot Carpaccio looks and tastes fantastic. The fennel and the crushed walnuts give it the texture and the feta cheese and the capers add the right amount of saltiness to the sweetness and earthiness of the beetroot. Replace the cheese with a vegan product, and this stunning appetizer is vegan.
For a plated, formal meal, I like to serve this as an appetizer, or starter and it goes well with a simple steak, chicken or salmon. Arrange this onto a large platter for a buffet, or for an alfresco luncheon along with Smoked Salmon and Broccoli Quiche served with a chilled glass of dry rose.. the combinations and serving options are endless- just use your imagination!
Beetroot Carpaccio is super easy to make, contains powerful superfoods and will impress your friends and family.
Salut!
Beetroot "Carpaccio"
Equipment
- 1 Mandoline Slicer Or a very sharp kitchen knife
- 1 Electronic digital scales
Ingredients
- 1 Large Raw, Beetroot, peeled This looks great if you can find find some golden beetroot and mix it up with regular red beetroot.
- 50 grams Spring Onion sliced thinly 2 large
- 50 gram Fennel, sliced into "Match Sticks" use as much or as little as you like [1 3/4 ounce]
- 60 gram Feta Cheese, crumbled use as much or as little as you like [slightly over 2 ounces]
- 45 gram Crushed Walnuts a handful [3 Tablespoons]
- Whole Caper & Caper Liquor from jar for garnish
- Rocket, or mixed leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
Dressing
- 20 ml Pomegranate Molasses [1x Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon]
- ½ teaspoon Good quality Balsamic vinegar
- 10 ml Olive Oil [2x teaspoon]
- 20 ml Organic Cider Vinegar [4 x teaspoon]
- 10 gram Finely chopped caper berries [2 x teaspoon]
- 10 ml Caper Juice the liquor from the jar of capers [2 x teaspoon]
Instructions
Dressing
- Whisk all ingredients. Cover and let it sit for a minimum of 4 hours, for maximum flavour. [Note 1 ]
Assembling the Salad
- Using the mandoline slicer, thinly slice 16 slices from your beetroot selection. You want it thin enough to see the texture and design of the root as that adds to the overall visual of the dish. [ depending on the size of the beetroot- use more or less ]
- Steaming the slices is optional [ Note 2 ]
- Place 4 slices of beetroot on each plate [ depending on the size of the beetroot- use more or less ] [Note 3]
- Place some leaves in the centre
- Add half the Fennel
- Sprinkle over half the Spring Onion
- Add more leaves, and add the remaining Fennel
- Top with the remaining Spring Onion, all the Feta and the crushed walnut
- Sprinkle some whole caper berries for garnish
- Serve dressed or with the dressing on the side.
