End of Summer Salad
Towards the end of summertime, I have to squeeze in as many dishes using homegrown tomatoes as possible. I pair them with hearty chickpeas, sweet roasted beets, refreshing cucumbers and salty bits of fresh mozzarella cheese for a super easy and satisfying meal.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield 4 servings
- 3 roasted beets, diced
- 1 13 ounce box or can of chickpeas
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 5 basil leaves finely slivered
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsps olive oil plus 1 tsp for roasting beets
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus a sprinkle of Maldon flakes to finish
- For serving - Crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious flavors on the bottom of the bowl.
PREPARATION
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with a large piece of foil. Place washed and trimmed beets on the foil and toss with a 1 tsp of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Close up the foil into a sealed packet and pop into the preheated oven for 1 hour. Beets will be fork tender when done.
- While beets are roasting, prep and toss the other ingredients with the exception of the mozzarella cheese and basil in a bowl. This will allow the flavors of the garlic and balsamic vinegar to infuse the tomatoes, cucumbers and beans.
- Once the beets are cooked, allow them a few minutes to cool down before rubbing the skin off. Dice and toss into the salad along with the mozzarella cheese, basil, and salt.
- Finish with a sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes and a bit more balsamic if desired.
