Chioggia beets look quite stunning, sporting pink-and-white concentric circles when cut horizontally. They’re not quite as dramatic when cooked, but the circles are still visible, and mine turned very nice shades of pink and orange. Judging by the ones I was sent, they might as well be called “rat-tail beets”. But I guess that would make marketing a bit of a challenge. Lesson learnt since last week: when beets are properly cooked, the skin can be rubbed off very easily (under a cold tap if they’re hot). This simple salad, plus some chunky bread, serves one.
two or three Chioggia beets
some firm lettuce
goat’s cheese (soft or firm)
some pumpkin seeds (if you like walnuts, those would work well too)
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
optional: a few sprigs of (lemon) thyme
Rub any sand off the beets, taking care not to break the skin. Don’t remove the tails. If the beets have fresh-looking greens, leave 5cm attached to the beets, wash the rest, and blanch for a couple of minutes (do this before you cook the beets, because those will probably still be a bit sandy and get the water muddy). Boil or steam the beets for 30–60 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Rub off their skins and slice thin circles horizontally. Toast the seeds in a dry frying pan. Arrange the lettuce and beet greens on a plate and top with the beet slices and crumbled goat’s cheese. Dress with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and possibly some lemon thyme. Seeds on top.