Ingredients
| 2 beetroots | |
| 1 teaspoon olive oil | |
| 400g tin white beans, such as butter beans, drained and rinsed | |
| 700g heritage tomatoes, roughly chopped | |
| seeds from 1 pomegranate | |
| THYME DRESSING | |
| 1½ tablespoons sherry vinegar | |
| 2 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked, with flowers if you can | |
| 1½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses | |
| 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | |
| TO SERVE (OPTIONAL) | |
| manchego | |
| rocket leaves | |
| crusty bread |
When people ask if I enjoy cooking at home, I tell them the truth: I love it. It really relaxes me after work. As I’m sure you can understand, after a long shift in a restaurant, you wouldn’t want to cook a complex three-course meal. But something straightforward that will make you feel good? Absolutely. It’s like painting for artists, or writing for writers: cooking is a creative process. You can explore the cupboards and fridge to see what ingredients you can find, then use your imagination to create something delicious. It’s always good to have a few different tins of things like beans and pulses in the pantry. A salad like this will always be my go-to – it’s easy to make, and enjoyable to eat!
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Instructions
| 1. | Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan |
| 2. | Rub the beetroots with the oil and wrap each one in kitchen foil. |
| 3. | Roast for 45 minutes until tender. |
| 4. | Allow to cool until they are cool enough to handle, then peel and chop. |
| 5. | Put the white beans, beetroots, tomatoes and pomegranate seeds into a bowl and toss together. |
| 6. | To make the dressing, blend the sherry vinegar, thyme and pomegranate molasses together then gradually whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. |
| 7. | Drizzle all over the still warm salad and toss together. |
| 8. | Let it sit for 10 minutes then serve with manchego, rocket and crusty bread. |
This is an edited
extract from The
Spanish Home Kitchen
by José Pizarro,
published by Hardie
Grant Books in 2022,
RRP $55. Available
in stores nationally.
Photography by
Emma Lee.