Be careful because this salad might stain your fingers! Rich in vitamins and minerals, magenta in color, and earthy and sweet in flavor, the star of this deli-style dish is the highly underrated beet. Delightfully bright and jam-packed with vegetables, let this be your go-to side dish for your next get-together, picnic, or meal.
If you’re new to beets, these beautiful root vegetables are winter’s sweetest and most colorful treat. They are often prepared through boiling or roasting and can be enjoyed both cold and warm.
Around the world, beets are most often incorporated into soups, salads, sandwiches, and sometimes even consumed raw through juicing. The most important tidbits to remember when preparing beets is to use a non-porous cutting board, to roll up your sleeves, wear an apron, and mentally prepare yourself to have bright magenta fingers for a while.
Beet juice is used as a natural food and clothing dye—it stains! For this recipe, we’ll be tossing roasted beets with Israeli couscous, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta, and a lemon-dill yogurt dressing.
Like beets, Israeli couscous is another under-appreciated ingredient. Originally called ‘ptitim’, translating to ‘flakes’ or ‘little crumbs’, Israeli couscous is actually toasted, extruded pasta developed in Israel in the 1950’s during a time in which rice was scarce. Chewy in texture and versatile in nature, it’s shocking to me how this ingredient is not utilized more to replace pasta in dishes.
I personally chose to use the 7” Bunka Chef Knife to assist me with slicing through all the fresh vegetables and herbs.
The ‘rock and chop’ feature of the Bunka is perfect for chopping herbs and garlic, while the sharp tip helps guide and glide through any vegetable you’re working with.
Refreshing and tangy, the addition of yogurt in this recipe creates a creamy texture, almost reminiscent of a Greek tzatziki sauce. Adjust the amount of yogurt to control the creaminess, or the acidity levels by adding or decreasing the amount of lemon juice or olive brine used. This recipe makes a little less than 1 cup of the dressing; I recommend starting out with using half of the dressing and slowly adding and tasting the salad until the desired coating is achieved.
Using the brine from kalamata olives in the salad dressing is an amazing way to incorporate a big boost of flavor and acid. Dill pickle juice would also make a delicious swap. Don’t ever waste your brine!
To finish, sprinkle crumbled feta cheese, toasted walnuts, and hand-torn mint over the salad before serving for some fun pops of freshness and crunch. To serve, the Titanium Plating Set is the perfect tool to spoon and scoop even portions onto your plate. They even look beautiful for snazzy dinner parties or picnics!
Israeli Couscous and Beets with Lemon-Dill Dressing
Be careful because this salad might stain your fingers! Packed with nutrients and a breeze to make, let this beautiful magenta salad be your next go-to side dish for any occasion. Try pairing with pan-seared salmon or tofu for a quick and colorful dinner!
Recipe and Photography by Maya Alderman
Forge to Table Knives
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 1.5 Hours
Cook time: 3 min
Ingredients:
Salad:
2 medium-sized red beets
1 ½ cups water
1 cup Israeli couscous
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ English cucumber, washed, cubed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed, halved
⅓ cup walnuts, toasted and lightly chopped
⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons tender mint leaves, torn
Lemon-Dill dressing:
½ cup yogurt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-½ tablespoon lemon zest (~1 lemon)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Kalamata olive brine
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped dill
2 teaspoons minced garlic (~2 cloves)
Kosher salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Directions:
BEETS. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Prepare the beets by cutting off the leafy tops and roots, if necessary. Scrub the beets to remove any dirt and wrap each beet individually with aluminum foil. Place the beets on a rimmed baking sheet and place them into the preheated oven to roast until easily pierced with a fork or the end of a knife, about 40-60 minutes. Remove the beets and let cool for about 30 minutes. Once cool, gently peel off the skin and cut into bite-sized cubes.
COUSCOUS. While the beets are roasting, add 1-½ cups water to a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil. Add the Israeli couscous and salt to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the couscous pearls are tender, about 7-9 minutes. Drain the couscous in a colander and shock with cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cool, drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
DRESSING. You can’t mess this up! Into a medium bowl, measure out and prepare all ingredients listed under ‘Lemon-Dill Dressing’ and whisk together until completely incorporated.
VEGETABLES. Prepare cucumber and cherry tomatoes according to directions. Place in the large bowl with the couscous.
ASSEMBLE. Into the bowl with the couscous and vegetables, add the cooled and chopped beets. Add half of the prepared dressing and mix until everything is well combined. Taste the salad and add more dressing or salt and pepper, if desired.
GARNISH. Once the salad is the right texture, place it into a serving bowl. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese, toasted walnuts, and mint leaves. Enjoy!
Chef’s Notes:
Since you’re already roasting beets, we recommend toasting the walnuts on the same sheet tray, they should only take about 5-7 minutes until toasty.
Feel free to save the beet greens for a stir fry or omelet at a later time!
