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My marinated beetroot obsession continues today with this delicious, easy and very more-ish salad plate of Whipped Feta with Beetroot, Dill & Pistachios. A bit simpler and tangier than my Greek Beetroot Salad, my obsession with lining a plate with something cool and creamy before loading up with dip-able, scoop-able salad items (see also my Hummus, Tomato & Sumac Salad, and my Cucumber Raita Salad Plate) is continued with a salad plate that is as pretty as it is delicious.
Serve it simply with flatbreads as a lunch or before a meal, or alongside some grilled or barbecued meats. I think the skewers from my Homemade Chicken Gyros would work really well here, or a whole bream with nice, charred, crispy skin with a few lemons thrown into the cavity for good measure.
For those of you who have made my Greek Beetroot Salad before, you’ll know where a lot of the vibes in this whipped feta with beetroot salad come from. It’s got the same tangy extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and date molasses (I always recommend Odysea brand – they gifted me a bottle years ago but now I bulk buy it #ad – indecently, I use their extra virgin olive oil and their sheep and goat milk feta in this recipe too) but with a bit more vinegar to cut through the richness of the whipped feta.
I usually buy Greek-style yogurt instead of authentic Greek yogurt which is a little thinner so I can sub it in when natural yogurt is called for in recipes, but if you want to go ahead and use the thicker, more authentic stuff here you might do a little better with a 1:1 ratio of yogurt to cheese in the whipped feta than the not quite 2:3 in the below recipe.
This simple Whipped Feta with Beetroot, Dill & Pistachios salad plate is perfect for scooping up with warm flatbreads or serving alongside a Greek or Mediterranean-inspired feast!
Ingredients
Scale
3 small or 2 medium beetroot
sea salt
140g (5 oz) feta
100g (3.5 oz) Greek-style yogurt
juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp date molasses
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
small handful roughly chopped roasted pistachios
small handful fresh dill
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Halve the beetroot and cook them in a pan of boiling, salted water until tender; this should take roughly 20 minutes. Drain and set aside until they’re just cool enough to touch.
Meanwhile, make the whipped feta by blitzing together the feta, yogurt and lemon juice in a bullet blender or small food processor until smooth. Set aside.
To make the dressing for the beetroot, whisk together the vinegar, molasses and oil in a small bowl, and set aside.
Peel the skins of the beetroot and cut into small cubes. Toss with the marinade and leave to stand for 5 minutes whilst you chop the pistachios and the dill.
Swirl the whipped feta across a serving plate with the back of a spoon and pile the beetroot on top, leaving the remaining dressing behind in the bowl. Sprinkle over the pistachios and the dill, and finish with a good drizzle of oil and a few grinds of black pepper.
Notes
I wear disposable gloves when I’m handling the beetroot so that I don’t stain my fingers.
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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