This is a delicious grain salad idea for when you find yourself with beets on your hands. Feel free to sub in any colour of beets you have - candy cane, red, or as we used here, gold. The colours scream fall, and we're adding this recipe to our Thanksgiving list for the year! It's delicious.
Roasted Gold Beets with Farro, Dates + Almonds
1.5 cups dry Flourist Farro
10 Medjool Dates, pitted, halved and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 bunch Italian parsley
200g feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup whole almonds
2# gold beets
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2-2.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp coconut sugar
Start by cooking the Farro according to package directions. Fill a large pot with cold water (about 3 litres) and add the dry Farro. Bring the water to a boil, with the lid on, and turn the heat down to medium to maintain a gentle rolling boil. Cook for 50-60 minutes, until the Farro is tender. Drain, rinse, and set aside to cool.
While the farro cooks, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat to toast the seeds. Add the cumin and fennel seeds for the dressing and toast for 1-2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Transfer the seeds to a plate and allow to cool. Using the still hot pan, chop the whole almonds (if using) and add to the dry pan. Toast on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, again stirring to prevent burning. Once toasted, transfer the almonds to a plate or bowl and set aside to fully cool.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. individually wrap each beet with foil and wrap to cover the entire surface. Poke holes in the foil on each beet several times using a fork. Place the foil-wrapped beets on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until soft, about 50-60 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little. While still slightly warm, unwrap the beets. Running the beets under cold water, use your hands to rub off the skins. Trim the ends of the beets. Next, slice the beets in lengthwise slices or as desired. You can also chop them into cubes depending on preference - this may be best decided based on the size of your beets.
Pit the dates by slicing lengthwise and removing the pits. Chop the dates horizontally. Set the chopped dates aside. Mince the parsley.
Once the spices are cool, transfer to a bowl and combine them the rest of he dressing ingredients. Taste to adjust salt.
When all of the components are ready, combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl, reserving some feta and parsley for garnish. Add the dressing as desired and mix well. Serves 4-6 as a side.
