Marinated Beet & Bread Salad from Local Dirt + a giveaway!

Marinated Beet & Bread Salad from Local Dirt + a giveaway!

I'm so excited to share an exclusive recipe from my new cookbook "Local Dirt". My cookbook is all about cooking with ingredients grown close to your home and adapting those recipes and ingredients to work with what you've got. This marinated beet and bread salad is a great example of a recipe from the new book. It's chock full of simple ingredients that turn basic recipes into something special. This is a twist on one of my favorite summertime salads- the always delicious, Tuscan bread salad known as panzanella.  Traditional panzanella is made with stale sourdough bread, overripe tomatoes, vinegar and plenty of olive oil plus some fresh herbs from the garden. As we say goodbye to summer tomatoes and hello to lots of fall root veggies I like to whip up this autumn version which utilizes beets, fall herbs, onion, vinegar, oil, bread and some goat cheese for good measure. It's a beautiful salad that is full of so many wonderful flavors it's a great recipe to share with family and friends. It pairs well with a whole roasted chicken (perfect roasted chicken is a recipe in my book as well) pork chops, steak or simply served as a side to a light fall soup. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do. In the spirit and celebration of my new cookbook I'm offering a giveaway to two blog readers. All you need to do is leave a comment below and let me know what fall vegetable you're most looking forward to cooking this time of year with your family, neighbors, or simply serving up solo because hey, it's a pandemic and a lot us are eating alone but that doesn't mean we shouldn't whip up something nourishing and delicious! If you're looking for a new cookbook or a gift to send to one of your favorite home cooks or local food enthusiasts you can order my cookbook from anywhere books are sold- amazon, barnes and noble, or your local bookstore. If you would like a signed copy of the book you can order from my neighborhood store and they will ship worldwide. Waucoma Bookstore is my favorite little shop in our neck of the woods and it's a wonderful business to support! Cheers to the fall harvest!

Marinated Beet & Bread Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds beets, sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces (no need to peel)
  • salt
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 loaf of sourdough bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1 cup torn fresh herbs (dill, parsley, basil)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F
  2. Place the beets in a large pot with enough water to cover them by at least 1 inch. Sprinkle them with a hefty pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the beets until they are tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.
  3. Place the beets and onion in a large bowl. On a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, and olive oil with a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle half the mixture into the bowl with the beets and onion. Toss to coat and set aside.
  4. Place the torn bread on a a baking sheet and drizzle it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is golden brown and crisp, 8-10 minutes tossing halfway.
  5. Add the bread to the bowl with the beets and onion. Drizzle in more of the dressing to taste and top with the goat cheese and fresh herbs. If need be, sprinkle with more salt to taste and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

Localize this recipe by using any variety of beets or root vegetable. Try a pumpkin, butternut squash or even sweet potato in place of the beets. Any variety of herbs or cheese will be nice here

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