Roasted Beetroot, Lentil & Pomegranate Salad

This year, my dad decided to plant a veggie patch near his shed, and boy what lovely veggies it produced! In actual fact I think the key to a successful garden is letting it be – just let it grow. Seriously, after not tending to it for a month, my dad went and picked up baby beetroots, carrots, corn, tomatoes, herbs, zucchinis that are close to a meter long and so much delicious and beautiful home grown produce.

I was so excited to see the baby beetroots as they are one of my favourite vegetables, especially in the summer.  And may I say, turning them into this salad has to be one of the most gracious ways to treat them. The natural oils in the garlic cloves seeps into the beets whilst they are roasting, imbuing them with a soft, caramelised garlic accent. Added with the freshness of the onions and herbs, the wholesomeness of the lentils and creaminess of the fetta – this salad will ignite every taste bud and sensation. The inspiration for this salad came from the newest edition of the Gourmet Traveller where a grilled eggplant, pomegranate and lentil salad featured. If you are yet to get your hands on a copy of the latest edition, I highly recommend you do so quickly as there are some beautiful recipes. I served this alongside my crispy chicken schnitzel and the Gourmet Traveller’s speedy yoghurt flatbread which was so scrumptious that my family didn’t even allow me time to take a picture so I could blog it. Anyway, just an excuse for me to make it again ASAP.

So, if you are nearing the end of summer and getting tired of the same old salads it is high time to spice it up a bit and reignite your love for salads with this beautiful, utterly delectable recipe!

Ingredients:

4 fresh baby beetroots, washed

2 cloves of garlic

½ a purple (Spanish) onion, finely diced

3 spring onions, finely chopped

½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

½ cup small lentil (I used nipper lentils)

150 grams Dodoni Fetta (can be substituted for Persian Fetta)

½ a pomegranate, deseeded

3 tablespoons of pine nuts, roasted/toasted

Juice of ½ a lemon

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place washed, whole baby beetroots with the 2 cloves of garlic in aluminium foil and wrap tightly. Place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Test at the 45 minute mark with a skewer – it should be able to pierce through the beetroots, but they should still retain their firmness. If cooked, take out of the oven, unwrap and allow to cool.

In the meantime, cook the lentils in a saucepan of water for 25 – 30 minutes or until cooked to taste. Drain and allow to cool.

Peel the skin off the beetroots gently. Chop the beetroots into random pieces (I usually get 6 – 8 pieces from one baby beet). Place the roasted garlic in a measuring cup, and add the oil and lemon juice. Smash the garlic in this mixture do break it up into small pieces and flavour the dressing.

In a serving bowl, stir through the beetroot with the onion, spring onion, parsley and lentils. Decorate with pomegranate, fetta and pine nuts and pour over the dressing. Season to taste.