Sometimes, one ingredient can be such an inspiration for a whole recipe to be built around it. Feta cheese for us is one such ingredient. Neither S nor I can resist the intense saltiness and rich flavour of feta. That so much salt isn’t good for our health is easily forgotten when we lay our hands on this one cheese. I for one will willingly compensate with a salt free meal, if I have to, but never miss an opportunity to bite into this salty bit of heaven.
A few weeks ago we went shopping in the recently opened Hypercity supermarket in Inorbit Mall at Hitech City. This supermarket in Malad, Bombay was our favourite weekend haunts to stock up of food stuffs and we were so glad to find an outlet here. This is one place where foodies and non-foodies can easily go overboard buying all kinds of stuff to last several months.
We go in with a list of some five items, needlessly take the HUGE shopping cart thinking that we make our toddler sit in while we browse around peacefully. In the end the best laid plans go to dirt. Atri is in my arms, the shopping cart is full of items we never imagined that we wanted and three of the five simple items on my list were not in stock that day 🙂 Such is life!
So we managed to pick some Danish brand feta cheese on that visit and with beets sitting in the fridge, the idea for a simple salad was tossing around in my mind. Later that day, some local greens called Ponnaganti / ponnanganni / water amaranth made their appearance from cart vendor and happily joined the salad party. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m only too happy to try out the local greens in all kinds of dishes – along with vegetables, in dals and in salads. So what if I don’t find the endives and rockets of the world, or the ones i do find are all wilted for want of a home, I’m happy to substitute them with locally available greens, saving on all the food miles and reducing my carbon footprint . Cooking ‘glocal’ is the way to go, isn’t it?
Here’s the recipe for this very simple salad.
Beet, feta and water amaranth salad
Serves 2
Beet, feta and water amaranth salad
Ingredients
Method
- Pressure cook whole beets. I generally cook it for 3 whistles and then leave it on sim for 7-10 minutes. Remove when cooled. Slide off the skins. They'll come off very easily. Dice into medium sized cubes and keep refrigerated until it's time to use them.
- Crumble / dice feta into small cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing. I did not use salt in this as the salt in feta makes up for it. Add the beets, greens and feta. Toss with a gentle hand so as not to get the feta all mashed up. Serve chilled with soup or pasta.
LOVE Feta cheese! Nothing is more gratifying than having a cold salad on Summer days. I heard from my mom that it’s HOT in Bangalore. We are freezing here!
such a colourful salad! loved the recipe and the pic!
Asha – just a few days ago it was cold and today a hot breeze was blowing in the evening – touched 33 C already – I’m worried as to how the next couple of months are going to be, we’ll have to survive on water and cold food :)Jyoti – thanks!
Now thats such an innovative way to combine greens with beet – and feta! lovely
Very healthy and colorful!
I eat salads when there’s any kind of cheese in it and if it is feta, it turns irresistable.
Looks like there are too many people who don’t like feta 🙂
That word glocal is my patent 😉 http://chefatwork.blogspot.com/2008/11/dosakaya-pachadi.htmlI eat beets in salad almost everyday 🙂 but from a colleague’s box! I so hear you on the supermarket trips!
@Ashakka: Bangalore is very hot… 30C in the daytime already. Nights, evenings and mornings are cold/pleasant.Delhi is still cold… I still need a sweater!
Podi Raaga periya patent 😉 I see this word in the papers ALL THE TIME!I hear you all that Bglr is getting HOT, the last thing I want is that Bglr getting as hot weather wise as Bombay round the year, around the time I shift there! Blah!@ my own earlier comment – I meant ‘Looks like there aren’t too many people who DONT like feta’
Healthy and yummy salad…..
Nice use of local greens. Me likey.
I usually find feta FAR too salty for my liking. I believe fresh feta isn’t as salty, so I guess I’ll have to wait till a trip to Greece 🙂
Thanks KF and Giniann…Shammi – it is a bit too salty for me too – guess they need to add that much to send it halfway around the world in an edible condition 🙂 Now you’ve put an idea in my head!
I love beet salad, I usually make mine with goat cheese,pecans and arugula. yours looks so pretty!!
What a beautiful salad!