#50CoolSaladsForSummer No. 4 Beetroot Carpaccio With Feta

Beetroot is a tricky ingredient but a gorgeous one. I still feel it is an under-utilised ingredient in Indian restaurants. The colour is just so exquisite and the natural sweetness is too good. One restaurant that always surprises me with the way they use beetroot is Olive Bistro Hyderabad. Must say I have had the best beetroot based dishes at Olive. Including the latest Beetroot Carpaccio introduced in the new menu by Chef Viraf Patel, Consultant Chef at Olive.

Viraf Patel, known for his culinary adventures that are laced with much eccentricity, conviction and the belief in truly honest cooking, is one of the most celebrated young chefs in India. With a deep knowledge of ingredient and applications, he works with the understanding of origins of recipes and makes them relevant to our time and age.

Chef Viraf began his culinary escapades fairly early in life. Born to a mother dedicated to the hospitality industry and a father who was a printer publisher, he always maintained an interest in all things culinary and later went on to pursue his education in the culinary arts at the prestigious Les Roches School of Hospitality Management. Post his education in Les Roche, Chef Viraf went on to work at Restaurant Zur Rossweid, Zurich where the largely methodical and technique focused, Chef Attinger became his mentor and challenger. He attributes much of his culinary understanding, attention to detail and technique to Chef Attinger. Upon returning to India, he has worked and consulted with some very good standalone restaurants. We couldn't help requesting him for this recipe.

Here is this gorgeous recipe. Of course to replicate it, you would have to have his special touch. Or you can always go to Olive Bistro, Hyderabad and have the original.

Beetroot carpaccio with feta & orange vinaigrette 

Arugula lettuce, toasted sunflower seeds & Orange Rind

For the roasted beetroot

Beetroot – 1kg

Sea salt – 50gms

Oil – 50ml

Wash the beetroots, and cut off the top and bottom, place in an oven proof dish, drizzle with oil & sprinkle with salt, cover in aluminium foil & roast in the over at 170 C for 1.5 hours or until tender – be careful to check that they are not burning but avoid opening up the foil as you want to keep in all the moisture.

Once cooked, cool and place in the fridge to chill. Post chilling, peel the beets and slice them into very fine slices on the round. Place on a plate as evenly as possible, cover with cling film and refrigerate again

For the orange vinaigrette

Orange whole (California preferred) – 1 piece

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 30 ml

Apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar – 20ml

Orange juice – from the same orange

Orange zest – from the same orange

Salt – a pinch or 2

Zest the orange, this can be done by gently grating the orange peel on a very fine grater, do not reach the white core of the skin. Another method would be to remove the top most layer of the skin with a very sharp knife. Once the zest is removed, cut off the white core of the peel and cut out a few orange segments, juice the rest of the orange.

Mix all the ingredients and whisk into an emulsion – leaving some fine zest for garnish

To plate up 

Toasted sunflower seeds – a good pinch

Feta – 20 gms

Orange Zest

Arugula lettuce – shredded – 10gms

Mint – a few leaves 

Orange segments 

Dress the beetroot slices with the vinaigrette – and arrange the rest of the ingredients nicely on top.

Enjoy chilled.

#50CoolSaladsForSummer - 3. Russian Salad

Russian Salad is one of the most popular salads you will see almost on any buffet or wedding banquet. It looks good and has a rich feel to it. It is sweet and salty, tangy and creamy and is a great way to have spring vegetables in a very yummy way. Of course mayonnaise makes anything tasty. But it can be a rather heavy salad. Mayonnaise is full of oil and not always the best dressing if you are having a salad to eat something healthy. In this recipe I am substituting part of the mayonnaise with some hung curd which is a healthier option. Hope you enjoy this version:

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup    Cauliflower florets
1 Cup    Carrot cubed
1 cup     Peas
1 cup     Pineapple cubed
1 cup     Cucumber cubed
1 tbsp    Pomegranate seeds(for garnishing)



DRESSING:
1 Cup     Hung Curd
2 tbsp     Mayonnaise
1 tsp       Honey
1/2 tsp    Mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Bring 4 glasses of water to boil in a large pan with little salt. Add the carrots. after two minute, add the peas and after another 2 min add the cauliflower. Boil for a about 5-7 min further checking the veggies to be still crunchy but half cooked.
2. Drain the veggies in a colander, letting all the water drain away and refresh the veggies by pouring cold water on top. Let cool.
3. Keep pineapple and cucumber chopped separately.
4. In a large bowl add all the cooked and raw veggies and fruit except for pomegranate.
5. Mix the dressing ingredients separately and then add to the veggies. Let the sauce coat the vegetables nicely.
6. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top as garnish.

#50CoolSaladsForSummer 2. Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

Quinoa is a wonderful superfood that is slowly warming its way into Indian palates. It is the only vegetarian or plant-based protein that has all the essential amino acids normally found only in non-vegetarian foods. It is also very rich in dietary fibre, making it great for detoxification. Yet many people are wary of using Quinoa still. It may be an acquired taste for some, but it's crunchy plump grains surely lend themselves to many variety of dishes. This salad is a good way to start.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Brown Quinoa
1 cup Chickpea(White or Brown)
1 Cucumber diced
1 cup Red/ Green/Yellow Capsicum
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes
1 Lemon
2-3 tsp Balsamic Vinaigrette 


METHOD:
1. Boil soaked Quinoa in 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker upto one whistle. Let cool.
2. Boil Chickpeas soaked overnight, with 3-4 cups of water and a pinch of salt upto 3-4 whistles or 20 min in a pressure cooker. You can add some ginger garlic paste before boiling too. Let cool.
3. Mix Quinoa and Chickpeas in a large bowl and add the chopped veggies and whole cherry tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle Balsamic Vinaigrette and juice of one lemon.
5. Check for seasoning and add some salt and pepper if required.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander or herb of your choice.

#50CoolSaladsForSummer 1. Watermelon & Cottage Cheese Salad

Summer is the best time to have luscious salads. They are not only nutritious but keep you well hydrated. Watermelon is one of the most hydrating foods on the planet and one can have it almost everyday. However having it daily sometimes becomes boring. So one can change the way in which we consume it. Watermelon juice is a good deviation once in a while. Today we are gonna kick start this series with a cool Watermelon and Cottage Cheese Salad that is so easy to put together and will get polished off in minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gm watermelon cubed
200 gm Cottage Cheese crumbled
1/2 cup Olives
1 Onion sliced and dipped in water
15-20 Mint leaves 
Dressing:
1tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Olive oil
2-3 Garlic cloves crushed
1/2 tsp Mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1.Assemble all salad ingredients in large bowl.
2. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pour 2-3 tsp of dressing on salad. ( Can save the rest in fridge for any other salad and can also make in larger quantity and bottle as it does not go bad for even a fortnight if refrigerated).