So much of a recipe is all about the "elements" coming together. Skills we have learnt, things we have been given, inspiration we have borrowed all converging on the plate.
This salad is a classic example of something borrowed, gifted and stolen.
A couple of month ago I went to my second Scarf dinner (pop ups that give young people hand on experience in the hospitality industry) and experienced my first crispy buckwheat in cauliflower dish. The texture was life changing and I had to make it!
Crispy buckwheat
Ingredients
- 130g raw buckwheat
- 25g butter
- 10 g olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method
- Add buckwheat to a bowl and cover with cold water
- Soak for 30 mins
- Drain and shake of excess water
- In a non stick fry pan heat butter and oil over medium heat
- Add buckwheat and stir gently as it toasts about 8 minutes
- When buckwheat is crisp and brown add balsamic vinegar and coat grains
- Take off heat and spread flat on a large tray to cool
I used my cast iron pot for the photo but prefer to use a non stick frypan the other times I've made it
The fermented garlic honey came from an episode of Andy and Ben Eat Australia where they visit The Fermentary in Daylesford which only encouraged my baby steps into fermenting. The smell of the bubbling honey for any garlic lover is heaven and while I'm not a doctor, with an occasion teaspoon I've had no signs of man flu this winter.
Garlic honey labneh
Ingredient
Method
- Place a fine sieve over a large bowl
- Add the yogurt and cover with plastic wrap
- Let sit in the fridge for about 24 hours
- Place yogurt into a mixing bowl
- Add honey and combine
Salad Ingredients
- 2 small golden beetroot, boiled till tender and quartered
- 1 large beetroot, boiled till tender and diced
- 1 large candy stripe beetroot, boiled till tender and thinly sliced
- 1 blood orange segmented The blood oranges for this post were supplied by Redbelly Citrus
- 1 spring onion sliced on bias (diagonally)
- 3 radishes sliced thinly
- 1-2 tbsp garlic honey
- 1-2 tbsp lime agrumato olive oil (or olive oil with squeeze of lime)
Assembly...no allen key required
Spread a tsunami of labneh across a serving platter (I need a large black plate) or pretty much just put it on the plate
Artistically arrange the golden beetroots or pretty much just put them on the plate
Seductively drape the candy stripe beetroot or pretty much just put them on the plate
Joyfully scatter the radishes like confetti or pretty much just put them on the plate
Bestow the crimson sunset blood orange gems or pretty much just put them on the plate
Disseminate the grassy spring onions or pretty much just put them on the plate
Purposefully position the purple empire of beetroot cubes or pretty much just put them on the plate
Adorned with crisp salty jewels of buckwheat or pretty much just put them on the plate
Delightfully drizzle with garlic honey and lime olive oil or pretty much just put them on the plate
Find a gallery and display your work of art....Traditionally I find a table works best.
An earlier version which is less busy and you could whip up with a tinned beetroot if you can't be arsed boiling fresh one.
