beet, celery and pistachio salad

August 2, 2013 • Nancy Wolfson-Moche

Beets for breakfast? You bet! No other veggie beats their juicy sweetness.

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serves 4

INgredients

1 bunch beets (about 5-6)

2 stalks celery

½ cup pistachio nuts, shelled

3-4 fresh chives

3-4 fresh mint leaves

¼ cup chèvre (optional)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup EVOO

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Process

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Trim and peel the beets; wash. Wash the celery, chives and mint well.

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Place the beets, whole, in a small-medium sized pot filled 2/3 of the way with water.

Cook uncovered on a medium flame until water boils; turn flame down to a simmer. Let beets cook about 20 minutes (depending on the size of the beets: the smaller they are, the faster they’ll cook).

When you think they’re done, test by putting a fork into one. It should slide in easily.

Let beets cool.

While beets are cooling, slice the celery into paper-thin “C’s”.

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Chop the chives and mint leaves into tiny pieces.

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Cut the beets into half-moon-shaped sections;  then cut each one in half.

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Assemble the salad: mix beets, celery, pistachio nuts and chèvre if desired.

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Make the dressing:  whisk the apple cider vinegar and slowly add the EVOO, whisking them together. Pour over the salad.

 

Icing on the Cake: Testimonials

I loved Ms. Nancy’s cooking class so much.! I have been in this cooking class for two years and I would love to sign up for another one. I tried a lot of new foods like winter squash, cardamom, Brussels sprouts and kale. My favorite salad was the kiwi, carrot, radish salad.
Not only did we cook and eat, we also did labs about food. We used rulers to measure the size of plants. We also explored stone fruits and their ripe season. Now in my house we have window boxes and I am growing cherry tomatoes and basil.
I learned that we can use a lot of different tools to cook, not just our hands and senses. We used safety knives, potato peelers and a carrot sharpener (I wonder if you could sharpen a pencil with it?) !!!
Because of this class I can help papi make dinner and I will try any new food at least once to see if I like it. Thank you, Ms. Nancy for making cooking fun and interesting and helping me be excited about food.

- Love, K (a 7-year-old boy).