Beet, Blackberry Buckwheat Salad
Excerpted from The Side Gardener by Rosie Daykin. Copyright © 2024 Rosie Daykin. Photographs by Andrew Montgomery. Published by Appetite an imprint of Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
A gorgeous dish for a summer table—the nutty flavors of the buckwheat paired with the crunch of the hazelnuts give the salad an extra punch alongside the creamy labneh and roasted beets.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “These Vegetable-Forward Dishes Are Perfect for Summer Parties.”
How to Make It
1
Make the salad: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse any dirt or debris off the beets and trim the tops and bottoms. Place the beets on a sheet of foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with half of the salt and the pepper. Wrap them inside the foil and place directly on the oven rack to roast until fork tender, approximately 45 minutes.
2
Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet or small baking pan and pop in the oven with the beets for 5 minutes, until they are lightly roasted and fragrant. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the nuts to sit until they are cool enough to roughly chop. Don’t worry about removing their skins; I like the added color they provide.
3
Remove the beets from the oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Remove the skins of the beets and cut into 1-inch pieces. Transfer the cut beets to a large bowl.
4
Fill a small saucepan with 1 cup of water, the buckwheat, and the remaining ½ tsp salt. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, put the lid on, and allow the buckwheat to cook for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Lift the lid, place a clean, folded tea towel across the top of the pot, and replace the lid. Allow the buckwheat to steam for about 5 minutes more. Remove the lid and fluff the buckwheat with a fork.
5
Set the pot aside. Once buckwheat has cooled, add it to the beets.
6
Add the chopped nuts, blackberries, and torn mint to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and using a large spoon, toss to combine.
7
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk until well combined. Dress the salad and toss it all again.
8
Use a spoon to spread the labneh or Greek yogurt across the bottom of a large serving platter. Top with the salad and sprinkle with lemon zest to serve.
Ingredients
Salad
1 large or 2 medium beets
olive oil, for drizzling
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 handful hazelnuts
½ cup dried buckwheat
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 big handful fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
1 cup labneh or plain Greek yogurt
lemon zest, to serve
Dressing
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dark brown sugar
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Directions
1
Make the salad: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse any dirt or debris off the beets and trim the tops and bottoms. Place the beets on a sheet of foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with half of the salt and the pepper. Wrap them inside the foil and place directly on the oven rack to roast until fork tender, approximately 45 minutes.
2
Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet or small baking pan and pop in the oven with the beets for 5 minutes, until they are lightly roasted and fragrant. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the nuts to sit until they are cool enough to roughly chop. Don’t worry about removing their skins; I like the added color they provide.
3
Remove the beets from the oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Remove the skins of the beets and cut into 1-inch pieces. Transfer the cut beets to a large bowl.
4
Fill a small saucepan with 1 cup of water, the buckwheat, and the remaining ½ tsp salt. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, put the lid on, and allow the buckwheat to cook for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Lift the lid, place a clean, folded tea towel across the top of the pot, and replace the lid. Allow the buckwheat to steam for about 5 minutes more. Remove the lid and fluff the buckwheat with a fork.
5
Set the pot aside. Once buckwheat has cooled, add it to the beets.
6
Add the chopped nuts, blackberries, and torn mint to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and using a large spoon, toss to combine.
7
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk until well combined. Dress the salad and toss it all again.
8
Use a spoon to spread the labneh or Greek yogurt across the bottom of a large serving platter. Top with the salad and sprinkle with lemon zest to serve.
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