Beautiful butternut and beetroot!
Butternut and beetroot are a match made in heaven and with creamy goats’ cheese added, it becomes a flavour explosion like no other. This recipe by Heleen Meyer is definitely a showcase of a synergy of flavours, colours and textures. You either love or hate the unique tart and tangy flavour of goat’s cheese, but in this recipe, the slightly ‘wilder’ flavour of this cheese perfectly offsets the sweetness of the roasted butternut and beetroot. If you’re indeed, not a fan of goat’s cheese, a soft feta, pecorino or ricotta cheese can work just as well. The peppery flavour of rocket adds another layer and the nuttiness and touch of spice from the dukkah is all you need for a special platter of yumminess.
Make this recipe as a starter or a light meal, by adding cooked protein of your choice. Or enjoy it as a side dish with any meal – it’s particularly good with chicken or steak. The salad dressing is also one of those recipes that works well on just about any salad, so make it double and store it in the fridge to make the most of this versatile dressing.
Butternut & goats’ cheese salad
Recipe by Heleen Meyer, from Make five/Maak vyf
Image by Neville Lockhart
Serves 4 – 6
Salad dressing
100 ml olive oil
45 ml (3 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 orange
15 ml (1 tbsp) honey
salt and pepper
Salad
500 g butternut, peeled and cubed
500 g beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
100-150 g mixed fresh salad leaves, like rocket, spinach and small beetroot leaves
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
100 g goats’ cheese, crumbled
75 ml (5 tbsp) dukkah (see tip)
1. Salad dressing: Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste.
2. Salad: Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place butternut and beetroot in a shallow baking dish and pour a third of the salad dressing over. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until cooked.
3. Arrange salad leaves on a large salad platter or individual plates. Place butternut and beetroot on top and sprinkle the spring onions, cheese and dukkah over.
4. Serve immediately with the remaining salad dressing. The salad is delicious warm or at room temperature.
Tips
1. Homemade dukkah: Find an easy recipe on Heleen’s website: https://heleenmeyer.co.za/2023/01/19/homemade-dukkah/
2. Substitute the dukkah with roasted, chopped nuts of your choice or a mixture of roasted nuts and seeds, like sesame and sunflower seeds.
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