It can be tricky to find recipes for this time of year. You know, when it’s still kinda hot but also cooling down. Which is why this Autumn salad hits the spot perfectly.
By Angela Clutton
This doesn’t just taste of Autumn, it looks like Autumn on a plate. The burnished plum colours come together with depth from the beetroot, brightness from the quick-pickled blackberries, sweet musky figs and a bed of bitter radicchio leaves. With a tahini dressing and the crunch of a few seasonal nuts for the final flourish.
It’s a good one to make ahead. Build it in readiness and just finish with the dressing when time to serve. Keep the pickling liquor from the blackberries to use in salad dressings.
Autumn Salad: beetroot, fig, blackberry, radicchio and hazelnut
Serves 4 as a small main
Ingredients
400g (14oz) raw beetroots
150g (5oz) blackberries
75ml (2 ½ fl oz) red wine vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
300g (10 ½ oz) radicchio
3 ripe figs
100g (3 ½ oz) white tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
40g (1 ½ oz) shelled hazelnuts
sea salt flakes
Method
- Steam or roast the beetroots until tender. Leave to cool, peel and set aside.
- Quick-pickle the blackberries at least 1 hour before you want to eat: Put the blackberries into a bowl. In a small pan, heat the vinegar, coriander seeds, sugar and 75ml (21/2fl oz) water just until the sugar dissolves. Pour all that over the blackberries and set aside for 45 minutes, mixing them round occasionally.
- To build the salad: Choose either one large platter or individual plates. Separate the radicchio leaves and arrange as a base, roughly tearing any larger leaves. Cut the beetroots into wedges and arrange over. Cut the figs into wedges and add those, too. Lift the blackberries out of their pickling liquor and arrange over. Scatter over some salt flakes.
- Make the dressing: Mix the tahini with 75ml (21/2fl oz) water and the lemon juice. Give it some salt. Mix well.
- Roughly chop the hazelnuts and scatter over. Serve with the tahini dressing on the side.
Images and text from Seasoning by Angela Clutton, photography by Patricia Niven. Murdoch Books RRP $55.
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