serves Serves 4 ingredients • 4 good-sized beetroots, lovely different colours if possible, scrubbed, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks • . 3 ripe pears (or you could use apples), peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks • 1 x lemon oil dressing see below recipe • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 200g/7oz feta cheese • a small bunch of fresh mint, smallest leaves picked optional: a large handful of sunflower seeds
Remember to wear an apron when chopping beetroot, and wash your board and hands afterwards or you’ll get red fingerprints everywhere. If your knife skills aren’t up to speed yet, buy one of those matchstick peelers or matchstick mandolins in good cook shops. Then you’ll be really quick at it. Dress the beetroot and pear matchsticks in a little of the lemon oil dressing and season with some salt and pepper. Taste to check that the flavours are balanced and lovely, and add a little more lemon juice to check the sweetness of the pears and beetroots if you need to. Divide the salad between four plates or put it on a big platter, crumble over the creamy white feta, and sprinkle over the baby mint leaves and the sunflower seeds if you’re using them. Simple, but it’s a treat and a half. Recipe from www.jamieoliver.com/recipes