Salads
Beetroot, fennel & clementine salad
The earthy beets, dill and allspice give this salad a distinctly Scandi feel, but they are all flavours we find comfort in at Christmas. Use it as tonic to all the indulgence, or invite it to the party with a few well-placed slivers of smoked salmon or a crumble of Stilton.
Ingredients
- 600g beetroot
- olive oil
- 4 clementines
- salt and pepper
- 80g bulghur wheat
- 1 fennel bulb
- 40g toasted hazelnuts
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 15g dill
- 150g baby spinach
Method
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Step 1
Preheat your oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Peel the beetroots and cut them into equal-sized wedges. Place them in a roasting tin and mix with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of 1 clementine, season well with salt and pepper, and cover the tray with foil. Roast in the oven for 30 mins. When they are tender to the tip of a knife, remove the foil and return to the oven for 10 mins to take a little colour and reduce the liquid a little. Remove and set to one side to cool slightly.
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Step 2
While the beets cool, put a kettle on to boil. In a heatproof bowl, mix the bulghur with ½ tbsp of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Pour over enough boiled water to cover it by 2cm. Cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm and set aside for 20 mins.
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Step 3
Peel the 3 remaining clementines and slice them into rounds.
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Step 4
Halve the fennel bulb. Trim away the root end and any tough stalks. Slice each half, as thinly as you can, lengthways.
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Step 5
Roughly chop the toasted hazelnuts. Mix them with a dash of oil and a pinch of salt.
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Step 6
Add the fennel and clementine slices into the beetroot roasting tray with the vinegar, allspice, 2 tbsp of oil and half the dill. Taste and season to your liking.
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Step 7
Drain and discard any remaining liquid away from the bulghur. Fold it into the tray along with the baby spinach.
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Step 8
Pile it onto a serving plate and garnish with the hazelnuts and remaining dill.