Autumn Salad: Beetroot, Fig, Blackberry, Radicchio and Hazelnut

by Angela Clutton, featured in Seasoning: How To Cook and Celebrate The Seasons

Published by Murdoch Books

Introduction

This doesn’t just taste of autumn, it looks like autumn on a plate. The burnished plum colours come together with depth from the beetroot, brightness from the quick-pickled blackberries, sweet musky figs and a bed of bitter radicchio leaves. With a tahini dressing and the crunch of a few seasonal nuts for the final flourish.

It’s a good one to make ahead. Build it in readiness and just finish with the dressing when time to serve. Keep the pickling liquor from the blackberries to use in salad dressings.

As featured in

Seasoning: How To Cook and Celebrate The Seasons

Image of Angela Clutton's Autumn Salad — Photo by Patricia Niven

Ingredients

Serves: 4 as a small main

Metric Cups

400 grams raw beetroot
150 grams blackberries
75 millilitres red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon caster sugar
300 grams radicchio
3 ripe figs
100 grams white tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
40 grams shelled hazelnuts
sea salt flakes

14 ounces raw beets
5 ounces blackberries
2½ fluid ounces red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
10½ ounces radicchio
3 ripe figs
3½ ounces white tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ ounces shelled hazelnuts
sea salt flakes

Method

Autumn Salad: Beetroot, Fig, Blackberry, Radicchio and Hazelnut is a guest recipe by Angela Clutton so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Steam or roast the beetroots until tender. Leave to cool, peel and set aside.
Quick-pickle the blackberries at least 1 hour before you want to eat: Put the blackberries into a bowl. In a small pan, heat the vinegar, coriander seeds, sugar and 75ml (2½fl oz) water just until the sugar dissolves. Pour all that over the blackberries and set aside for 45 minutes, mixing them round occasionally.
To build the salad: Choose either one large platter or individual plates. Separate the radicchio leaves and arrange as a base, roughly tearing any larger leaves. Cut the beetroots into wedges and arrange over. Cut the figs into wedges and add those, too. Lift the blackberries out of their pickling liquor and arrange over. Scatter over some salt flakes.
Make the dressing: Mix the tahini with 75ml (2½fl oz) water and the lemon juice. Give it some salt. Mix well.
Roughly chop the hazelnuts and scatter over. Serve with the tahini dressing on the side.

Steam or roast the beetroots until tender. Leave to cool, peel and set aside.
Quick-pickle the blackberries at least 1 hour before you want to eat: Put the blackberries into a bowl. In a small pan, heat the vinegar, coriander seeds, sugar and 75ml (2½fl oz) water just until the sugar dissolves. Pour all that over the blackberries and set aside for 45 minutes, mixing them round occasionally.
To build the salad: Choose either one large platter or individual plates. Separate the radicchio leaves and arrange as a base, roughly tearing any larger leaves. Cut the beetroots into wedges and arrange over. Cut the figs into wedges and add those, too. Lift the blackberries out of their pickling liquor and arrange over. Scatter over some salt flakes.
Make the dressing: Mix the tahini with 75ml (2½fl oz) water and the lemon juice. Give it some salt. Mix well.
Roughly chop the hazelnuts and scatter over. Serve with the tahini dressing on the side.