Warm Beet Salad with Beet & Red Wine Emulsion and Feta Cheese over Arugala

Though I’ve been evolving this dish over the last several years, I created this particular version for a wedding Foodisima catered earlier this month. The bride’s colors were “fig” and green and the gorgeous red of the beets on the bold green of the arugala fit the bill perfectly.

It’s fun when you can tailor a wedding menu to not only suit the wedding couple’s lifestyle and tastes, but the colors they’ve chosen for their special day, as well.

This salad is at its most delicious when served just slightly warm. Warmth brings out the earthy sweetness of the beets and the rich, salty flavor of the feta while arugala’s sharp bite provides a welcome counterpoint. Vegans take note: without the feta, this is a gorgeous vegan first course.

2 pounds beets
1 cup red wine
½ cup balsamic vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
4 wedges feta cheese

Scrub beets, remove greens and roast beets in a casserole with a tight-fitting lid at 425 F for 90 minutes or until beets pierce easily with a fork.

Allow beets to cool before removing skins. The cooked beets should slide easily from their jackets. Slice beets in ¼-inch rounds, set aside reserving approx. one quarter of the cooked beets. Place the reserved beets in a medium-sized pot with the wine and balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until liquid reduces by half: approximately 15 minutes.

Puree beets, wine and vinegar with an immersion blender or food processor, adding salt and pepper to taste. When puree is very fine pour mixture through a fine sieve, pressing with a wooden spoon until as much liquid as possible has been pushed through. Set aside.

To assemble, warm cooked beet rounds slightly.

Arrange a bed of arugala on the plate. Mound one quarter of the sliced beets at the center of the plate. Surround this with about two big tablespoons of the beet and wine emulsion. Top with wedge of feta and serve.

Photo by David Middleton.