Beetroot salad with runner beans, greens and soft cheese

Sweet ruby beetroot and runner beans with salty soft cheese over beetroot greens – I found this in a French cookbook and love that everything is ready in the garden all at same time.

I have used Kervella Blanc, a soft, sweet curd bought locally, but you can substitute any soft goat cheese or feta. The beetroot was the first of the season and still tiny.

We are so lucky in Golden Bay that master cheese makers Gabrielle Kervella and Alan Cockman live here and produce artisan cheese Kervella which they sell at the local market and supermarket. This truly is a superior product and one I want to make the very most of. In this recipe I have used their soft cheese, Blanc. See their website https://kervellacheese.co.nz/ and to find out more about their amazing cheese read here. (BTW I’m not getting any money for this !)

INGREDIENTS

• Bunch beetroot with fresh leaves attached
• Handful of runner beans (or dwarf French beans)
• 1 or 2 tbsp chopped capers
• Vinaigrette dressing made with ratio of 2:1 olive oil and red wine vinegar
• 30g soft white cheese

METHOD

1. Boil the beetroot in their skins, and when cool slide the skins off with your hands.
2. While the beetroot is cooking top and tail the beans and throw into another pot of boiling salted water and cook to your liking. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Take the leaves and stems of the beetroot and place in the boiling bean water for a minute. Drain and refresh under cold water.
4. When cool, thoroughly wring out the water from the leaves and slice into chunks (any residual water in the leaves will make it taste watery).
5. Place the leaves in a serving bowl, arrange the beans and beetroot, sprinkle with capers and pour the dressing over. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Scatter crumbled cheese over the top.