5 Courses, 5 Recipes Part 3

It's salad time! I know some of you are thinking "Yay. Salad. I'll skip this one and wait for tomorrow's recipe." Don't. Try thinking of salads as more than your basic lettuce and tomato combinations and see how different they can be while adding a special touch to your dinners. This salad really tested my belief in that since I never really liked to eat beets. But what a salad! Perfectly balanced flavor and amazing color that will definitelty impress your guests. This salad is one of Jaimie Oliver's who is as great a cook as he is boyishly handsome (errrrrr...remind me to edit that part out before I publish).

Do not put this salad together too early as the beet coloring will bleed into the other ingredients and it won't look as nice. Have everything cut before hand and assemble minutes before serving.

Beet Salad with Feta and Pear

Ingredients

4 medium sized beets, washed and peeled
3 ripe pears peeled and cored (make sure they are not too ripe...you want crunchy)
7 oz feta cheese
A few leaves of fresh mint
Handful of sunflower seeds (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Lemon Oil Dressing (recipe below)

Cut your beets and pears into thin matchsticks with a good sharp knife or mandolin. Crumble feta cheese into small bits. When ready to assemble salad combine the beet and pear and dress with Lemon Oil dressing:


Dressing

Juice of one fresh lemon
10 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Mix dressing ingredients vigorously and taste for seasoning.

Divide dressed beets and pears onto 4 small plates and top with crumbled feta. Add sunflower seeds if using and sprinkle small mint leaves on top.

Serves 4


Done! Easy huh? I have complete confidence that you can pull this off without match sticking your fingers too. Once you see that salads can be made from just about anything you'll have a massive salad aresenal to wow people with. Enjoy!

Next up.....The Mighty Main Course!

Cheers

PFD