BEET SALAD WITH RED ONION, MINT AND PISTACHIOS

Beet Salad With Red Onion, Mint and Pistachios image

Provided by COOKGIRl

Time 1h15m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 medium red beets, with greens
2 medium golden beets, with greens
1 small red onion, peeled
2 teaspoons sherry wine vinegar (I replaced with marionberry vinegar)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped (NOT dried mint)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Preparing the beets: Cut off the greens and set aside.
Place the beets in an ovenproof dish and add enough water to cover the bottom.
Cover with foil and bake 1 hour or until they pierce easily with a knife.
Remove beets from the oven and allow to cool.
Peel and discard the skins (depending on how young the beets are I sometimes skip the peeling part). Cut them into wedges or slices. *Remember*: Keep the red beets separate from the golden beets to avoid the red beets bleeding.
Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of sherry vinegar on the red beets and the other one half teaspoon on the golden beets. Toss to coat and set aside.
(Read *Note below before starting this step.) Assembling the salad: Wash well and coarsely chop the beet greens. Place in a colander.
Slice the red onions into thin rounds and place on top of the greens.
Boil 1 cup of water then pour over the beets and onions. Drain well and pat dry.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the mint and beets.
Drizzle the vegetables with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sherry vinegar and the olive oil.
Season to taste with salt and pepper; toss.
Garnish with the pistachios.
*Note: the photo that accompanied this recipe on the relish.com site shows the vegetables all arranged on a platter in their own little mounds and the ingredients were not tossed together. I chose to serve the salad with each ingredient placed in mounds for a more beautiful presentation. The nuts were of course scattered on top of the salad.