Intro
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets, mixed colors raw or cooked
- 6 scallions, white parts only, minced
- Lemon juice or red wine vinegar to taste
- 1/2 cup currants
- 2 large bunches watercress or a mixture of water and field cress
- 2 firm apples, sweet or tart, as you prefer
- 1 celery heart, sliced into pieces 1/4 inch wide
- 3/4 cup walnut meats, freshly cracked if possible
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger (about 1/2 ounce), peeled and grated
- 1 1/2, tablespoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar, or more to taste
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
The Greens Cookbook
serves 4-6
Directions
Make the vinaigrette: Pound the garlic in a mortar with the sea salt until it forms a smooth paste. Add the curry powder (use a commercially prepared powder or make one using the recipe on page 328) and the ginger, and work them into the garlic. Stir in the lemon juice or vinegar, then whisk in the oil.
If using raw beets, preheat the oven to 400°F. Leaving the tails and an inch of the stems on the beets, rinse them, put them in a baking pan with 1/4 inch of water, cover, and bake them until they are tender when pierced with a knife, 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Take care not to overcook them. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets.
Slice beets in half, then into wedges, and toss them with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and half the scallions. Add lemon juice or vinegar to taste to make the beets a little tart. Set them aside.
Cover the currants with hot water and let them stand to soften for 15 minutes. Then drain, gently squeeze them to remove extra water, and add them to the cooked beets.
Go through the watercress and break off the small branches from the thick main stems. Discard any yellow leaves. Wash and spin dry. If you are using field cress, wash and dry it also. Quarter the apples and slice them into thin pieces. Combine them with the celery, walnuts, and the rest of the scallions; toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. If you are using both kinds, combine the two cresses, dress them with the rest of the vinaigrette, and set them out on salad plates or a large platter. Arrange the beets on top of the greens with the celery, apples, and walnuts scattered over and around them.