Root vegetable + blood orange salad
Something fresh and bright for the Christmas table from our cookbook, Sea Salt. This jewel-like blood orange and cured root vegetable salad makes a glittering starter or, served with a generously buttered slice of sourdough, it’s a simple, pleasing respite from all the indulgence.
Curing root vegetables serves to temper their earthiness and amplify their jammy, savoury character to a deliciously noticeable degree. We like to use blood oranges in this salad, but if they are not in season or are hard to get your hands on then try navel oranges.
Find this favourite family recipe along with many, many more in our perfectly-seasoned cookbook, Sea Salt.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
- 500g beetroot, peeled and cut into 2cm wedges
- 250g parsnips, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
- 250g celeriac, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
- 90g Pure Sea Salt in a Finer Flake
- 75g caster sugar
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Grated zest of 1 unwaxed blood orange
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 100g goat’s cheese log
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 blood oranges
- 250g pouch cooked Puy lentils
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 head red endive, leaves separated
- 50g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 3 parsley sprigs, leaves picked
- 3 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Arrange the beetroot on a roasting tray in an even layer and the parsnips and celeriac on another. Rub the salt and sugar together with the garlic clove, orange zest, cumin and pepper in a small bowl to combine. Divide the salt and sugar mixture between the vegetables in the two trays and toss to coat every piece in the cure. Leave to cure at room temperature for 40 minutes (but no longer as the vegetables will become too salty).
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
- Keeping the beetroot separate from the other vegetables, rinse them all thoroughly under cold running water and pat dry. Rinse the trays to wash away the cure and dry them. Put the beetroot onto one tray and the parsnips and celeriac on another. Drizzle the vegetables with enough olive oil to coat in a thin layer and roast in the oven for 35–40 minutes until tender and caramelised in places. About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the beetroot tray from the oven and put the goat’s cheese on top of the beetroot. Drizzle the honey over the cheese and return the tray to the oven.
- Meanwhile, slice the top and bottom off the blood oranges and use a serrated knife to cut away the skin and pith. Cut the blood oranges into 1cm/½in rounds, discarding any pips. Set the slices aside until ready to use. Warm the lentils through in a large frying pan, then remove from the heat and dress with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the lemon juice. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and while the cheese is still warm, roughly break it up with a fork into wobbly chunks. Stir the lentils through the vegetables and cheese.
- Arrange the roasted vegetable mixture on a serving platter. Break the blood orange slices into smaller pieces and tuck among the vegetables along with the endive leaves. Scatter over the hazelnuts and herbs and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.
RECIPE + IMAGE: Sea Salt: A Perfectly Seasoned Cookbook – The Lea-Wilson family
