Christmas Beet Salad with Halloumi
Decorate the Holiday table with this festive red and green salad - tender beets and spinach play with crisp apples and pistachios, all invited to the party with the tangy dressing. The Halloumi is just an extra gift of salty accent!
Christmas Beet Salad with Halloumi Cheese
4 medium sized beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
2 cups leaves fresh spinach, stems removed
1/4 cup shelled and roughly chopped pistachio nuts
1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into very thin segments with the skin intact
1/4 cup minced shallot
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
5 tablepoons olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 ounces halloumi cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
-Wash beets so that all dirt is removed then trim stem ends to about 1 inch. Place in a medium pot with enough boiling water to cover the beets. Cover with a lid and cook for about 45 minutes over medium heat, until a fork pierces them with just a bit of resistence. Remove beets from water and let sit to cool until easy to handle - at least 15 minutes. Peel and rub the skin off of each beet, then slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Set aide.
-While beets are cooking, whisk shallots, garlic, parlsey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and sugar together in a bowl until blended; season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.
-Place 3 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the Halloumi cheese with paper towels to dry, then slice the cheese into 1/2 inch thick slices. Slice each again in half veritcally. Place cheese slices into sizzling hot oil and fry on each side until golden brown, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. Place on paper towels to drain. Leave in rectangles or cut rectangles again in half if you like smaller croutons.
-Place chilled spinach greens on a serving platter to create a bed for the salad, scatter the beets over the top of the spinach, leaving a border of spinach leaves. Arrange the apple slices among the beets, green skins facing up, then sprinkle the feta cheese and the pistachios over the top of the salad.
-Arrange the Halloumi croutons around the edges of the salad, then dress the entire salad well with the dressing. Chill for 15 minutes, then serve. Makes 6 servings.
Place the slices of Halloumi cheese in the hot oil in a medium skillet.
Fry on each side until golden brown, 2 - 3 minutes per side. Drain and set aside.
Arrange the spinach on the bottom of a serving platter, scatter the beets over the spinach then arrange the apple slices, skin side up among the beets.
Arrange Halloumi croutons around the edges of the salad then dress generously with the vinaigrette.
A beautiful, tasty, red and green salad with complementary contrasts - crispy, tender, sweet and salty! You might call it a Christmas Celebration Salad!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**Halloumi cheese is becoming more widely available in U.S. grocery stores and is most often found in the Deli Cheese section of the store. If not, Middle Eastern or International groceries will generally carry it.
**The type of nut you choose is up to you but the pistachio is green which adds to the holiday look. But almonds, pecans or pine nuts would also be a good choice.
**Sometimes I add pomegrnate seeds for a nice pop of sweet, tangy flavor. They don’t show us as well in this salad which features the red of the beets, but for flavor, they are a nice addition.
