Beet & Cucumber Salad with Horseradish-Caraway Dressing

Horseradish with beets is classic, and also with cucumbers which also go really well with beets. As does caraway. How have I not put them all together before? Anyway, here they are with some lettuce which fits in with the crowd very well.

Winter salads! They can be done. And for once, I managed something decorative that was not a big nuisance to eat. I'm slow but I get there.

4 to 6 servings
about 1 hour to cook the beets
20 minutes prep time for the salad

Cook the Beets:
250 grams (1/2 pound; 3 medium) beets
1 tablespoon sunflower OR olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Wash and wrap the beets in foil, and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until just tender, or wash the beets and put them in a pot with plenty of water to cover them, and boil them for 45 minutes to an hour, until just tender.

Let them cool enough to handle, then peel them and grate them. Toss them with the oil and vinegar, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and keep refrigerated until you make the salad, up to 24 hours later.

Make the Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed, crushed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (light is fine)
2 tablespoons sour cream OR yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Crush the caraway seed and mix it in a small bowl or container with the remaining ingredients; best to do this a bit in advance of assembling the salad to allow the flavours to blend. Horseradish is very much at your discretion, depending on how much you like it and how strong yours is.

Finish the Salad:
1 small onion, red or pink for preference
1/2 bunch greenhouse lettuce
3 or 4 greenhouse mini cucumbers

Peel and slice the onion thinly. Put it in a strainer and sprinkle it with salt. Let it drain while you assemble the rest of the salad. 

Wash and dry the lettuce. For best presentation, cut off the tips of the leaves and arrange them around the outside of a shallow serving bowl. Chop the remaining lettuce. Wash, trim and slice the cucumbers.

Rinse the onions and drain them very well. Mix them with the lettuce and spread them in the middle of the salad bowl. Arrange the beets and sliced cucumbers over them. Drizzle with the salad dressing; you may opt not to put it all on, but to pass some of it for people who like extra dressing.





Last year at this time I made Polish Dill Pickle Soup.

Posted in: Ontario Food