One of my favorite things about Springtime are all the vibrant colors. It inspires me to see such gorgeous colors jumping off my plate and into my body! This salad was inspired by one of my favorite dishes at one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Ynez, SY Kitchen. The silky texture of the shaved beets, crunch of the hazelnuts, creaminess of the goat cheese, and perfect slight saltiness of the ume plum vinegar, make this recipe an absolute delight. So grab a friend, pour some Pelligrino and enjoy!
Shaved Golden Beet Carpaccio
Ingredients:
· 1 Large golden beet
· 1 Tbsp Ume plum vinegar
· 1 Tbsp Hazelnut oil
· 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
· 2 Tbsp goat chevre, crumbled*
· 2 Tbsp cup Tbsp hazelnuts
· 1 Tsp fresh thyme*
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Wrap unpeeled beet in parchment paper, place on tray and cook in oven for approximately one hour. Let beet cool.
3) Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off the beet
4) Use a mandolin to very thinly slice beet into 1/8”-1/4” sliced, or as very thin as you can get
5) Whisk together the vinegar and oils
6) Place beets in dish or on a plate and pour dressing over the beets to marinate for a couple minutes
7) While beets marinate, chop hazelnuts into small pieces
8) Tear thyme leaves off stems
9) Assemble beets nicely on a clean plate or platter. Sprinkle with goat cheese, hazelnuts and thyme
10) Enjoy!
*Notes:
- For a vegan option, I like Treeline’s Herbed-Garlic Nut Cheese
- Use lemon thyme if you can find it
- Feel free to use any oils or nuts you like
- For an entrée salad, throw some arugula on top and a bit more nuts and goat cheese