From the extravagant to the simple; you’ll need a mandolin for this or a steady hand and a sharp knife. The slimmer the slices, the prettier this plate can be
If you can find multi-coloured radishes in white, pink, red, purple and black, all the better.
Radishes were originally black, then bred to be red; same with carrots, which were originally purple and then bred to be orange – something to do with the royal family in the Netherlands.
Ingredients
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 200ml red wine vinegar
• 2 red beetroots, peeled
• 2 golden and/or pink beetroots, peeled
• 150g multi-coloured radishes, very thinly sliced
For the dressing:
• 50ml the drained beetroot pickling juice, (from beetroots above)
• 50ml olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 5cm fresh horseradish root or a smear of wasabi paste, peeled and finely grated
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the garnish:
• 30g nibbed pistachio nuts
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeds only
Method
1 In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar and salt with the vinegar until dissolved. Then add the whole beetroots and enough water to cover them. Cook over a medium-low heat for 40 minutes or until tender.
2 Remove the cooked beetroots from the cooking liquid using a slotted spoon and set aside to cool, reserving the liquid. Put half the radish slices in some of the beetroot cooking juices. After half an hour, they will be pink.
3 Cut the cooled beetroots into fine slices. Arrange some in overlapping layers in the middle of a large, round plate. Arrange the radish slices and remaining beetroot slices in concentric circles around the plate.
4 Mix the dressing ingredients together and drizzle over the salad. Dot with bright green pistachio nibs and blood-red pomegranate seeds.
Recipe courtesy of Kerstin Rodgers, extracted from V is for Vegan
