Red Rice, Fermented Beetroot, Feta and Rocket Salad

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This weeks Recipe of the Week has been shared with us by Debbie McQueen from Gateway Fine Foods; a catering business located in Kyogle, NSW. With just five main ingredients, this salad is simple to make, totally delicious and perfect for Summer and Autumn entertaining or when you just want to make something for yourself and your family that offers that little bit extra.

Serving Size: 6

Salad Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked organic red rice

150-200g fermented beetroot (this must be made at least a week in advance or you can use a store bought variety from Byron Alive Foods)

100g Feta (of choice)

100g fresh rocket

Zaatar to season (a prepared condiment usually made from crushed dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds, salt and sometimes sumac)

Fermented Beet

4 medium beets peeled and spiralized (or sliced or grated)

1/2 tablespoon of sea salt

1/2 sprig of dill or black peppercorns or ginger

Instructions

1. Wash two jars well with warm soapy water and rinse well.
2. Place the beetroot into a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Massage your hand through the beetroot for about 5 minutes until they release a bit of liquid.
3. Pack the beets into the jars, tossing in a few leaves of dill/peppercorns/ginger. Pack the beets down to ensure that the juice covers them entirely. If not, you can make a brine of 1/4 cup filtered water and a pinch of salt. Add as much as is necessary to submerge the beets completely.
4. Cover the jars loosely with lids or with a towel and leave to ferment. Begin checking them after a couple of days to ensure that the beets are still submerged, add more brine if necessary, and taste to see how they’re doing.
5. You can eat them when they have enough sourness for your taste. Once you like the desired taste then put them in the fridge to maintain the level of sourness.

To Serve

1. Place a layer of rocket on your serving plate/dish and spoon over some of the cooked (and cooled) rice. Add a thin layer of beetroot and then crumble some feta and sprinkle with zaatar. You should have enough ingredients to do a second layer of each of the ingredients the same as the first. Serve alongside other proteins or enjoy on its own

Gluten Free | Refined Sugar Free

To connect with Gateway fine Foods you can follow their Instagram page here or Facebook here.