Blood Orange, Roasted Beetroot & Labneh Salad
I once had a beetroot and chickpea salad at the gastropub temple that is The Eagle Farringdon. A fairly simple affair served on a flatbread … which was inspiring. Not only does the bread soak up all the lovely roasting juices and dressing, you can also cut sections off and create your own little wraps – well that’s what I do anyway.
As the clouds disappear and we start to enter into the summer months, my mind is set on producing non-boring salads for lunch. With that end in mind, I have reimagined the that roasted beetroot salad and created a blood orange, roasted beetroot and red onion salad topped with sheep milk labneh; all sitting on a flatbread. As with all dishes – especially salads (no place to hide), sourcing quality seasonal ingredients is a must. I’m lucky, the central market is not ten minutes from my kitchen. A cathedral-sized building filled with every kind of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish where you get to know the people that source and supply your produce.
I hope this recipe inspires you to go out and make a salad that is a headliner!
Makes a salad for 2
Whole milk yoghurt for the labneh – I used a sheep milk yoghurt from Calaveruela
3* medium sized beetroots
2* red onion
cumin seeds
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 blood orange – toronja sanguina
Handful of leaves (mustard, rocket, etc.)
½ avocado
5 ripe cherry tomatoes
2 radishes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Aleppo chilli flakes
Lemon juice
Basil leaves
Mint leaves
Handful of almonds
Himalayan Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Flatbread
* You will only need about a third of this amount but if you are putting the oven on you should make use of it: maybe stick in a couple of jacket potatoes for dinner as well!
Instructions
For the labneh, put the Greek yoghurt into muslin, tie it up creating a ball and suspend it over a bowl in the fridge – to collect the whey. Leave to drain for 12 – 24 hrs.
For the roasted red onion and beetroot; top, tail and peel the beetroots before cutting into discs or wedges. Cut the red onions in half – through the roots – and peel off the dry outer skins. Lay one onion half and some beetroot pieces on pieces of aluminium foil. Season, add a sprig of thyme and drizzle over some olive oil – I also added a splash of vino rancio (you could use white wine). fold the edges up and scrunch together to form little pouches. Bake in the oven at 180ºC en papillote for 40 minutes or until the beetroot is soft. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
For the salad, Lay a flat bread down and build the salad on top. To make the dressing, add a teaspoon of Aleppo chilli flake to a small pan. Drizzle over a little olive oil and put on a very low heat. When the oil is warm, remove it from the heat and leave it to infuse. Make sure to add all the roasting juices to the dressing.
James and the flat peach x
