Beetroot and avocado salad with miso dressing and walnut brittle

Name: Beetroot and avocado salad with miso dressing and walnut brittle
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: 6 medium beetroot; 1 tbsp liquid glucose (available at most supermarkets); 1 tbsp sugar; 130g walnuts; 2 tbsp white miso; 2 tbsp cooking sake; 4 tbsp rice vinegar; 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; ½ cup frozen peas, blanched and refreshed; 2 ripe avocados; ½ bunch coriander, washed; salt and pepper; pea shoots for garnish

Frank Camorra

March 29, 2016

A mouthful: Beetroot and avocado salad with miso dressing and walnut brittle.Marcel Aucar

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

Early autumn is the time to put together interesting salads, with so much amazing produce at the markets. Beetroot are incredibly sweet when cooked in their own juices wrapped tightly in foil in the oven. Once they are roasted, I prefer to use them straight away as they always taste better, and absorb more dressing, while still warm.

Ingredients

6 medium beetroot
1 tbsp liquid glucose (available at most supermarkets)
1 tbsp sugar
130g walnuts
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp cooking sake
4 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup frozen peas, blanched and refreshed
2 ripe avocados
½ bunch coriander, washed
salt and pepper
pea shoots for garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Wrap the beetroot individually in foil, place on a baking tray and bake for about an hour.
2. While the beetroot cooks, heat the glucose and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then add the walnuts and stir gently until they are coated.
3. Pour the walnuts onto a tray lined with baking paper and bake with the beetroot for 7-10 minutes or until the nuts are dark golden colour. Remove walnuts from the oven and cool.
4. After baking the beetroot for an hour, insert a skewer to check they are soft. Cool them enough to handle, peel and cut into 1-centimetre-thick slices, then cut slices into 1-centimetre sticks.
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk the miso, sake, rice vinegar and oil into a smooth dressing. Pour the dressing over the beetroot and mix gently.
6. Spoon the salad onto a serving plate then layer avocado, peas, coriander and crunchy walnuts on top, season, then top with pea shoots. Serve immediately.
FRANK'S TIP
Once cooked and dressed, the beetroot salad tastes much better if you don't put it in the fridge.