Today marks the midway point of the Soil Association’s annual “Organic September” campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the value of organic food and organic farming.
Far from being a fad, organic food is, of course, what we all used to eat before chemical-dependent farming began to dominate food production in the latter part of the 20th century. It is real food.
The more of us who choose to buy and grow organic produce, the more we will be supporting sustainable agriculture, which is vital for our collective future.
The Soil Association’s campaign has highlighted some astonishing statistics. For example, 17,800 tonnes of pesticides were used on British farms in 2015, and 1.3 million tonnes of additional carbon would be taken up by the soil if all UK farmland was converted to organic.
The campaign emphasises what a real impact each of us can make by deciding to switch to organic. You can find out more through this link.
On to the recipe, which I have created in association with Suma Wholefoods Cooperative.
Under the terms of our arrangement, every couple of months I select products from the Suma Wholefoods range which Suma provide free of charge. From these I create an original recipe which appears on the Suma website as well here, on the Circus Gardener’s Kitchen.
This recipe, with its nod towards Middle Eastern flavours and ingredients marks the cusp between late summer and early autumn, with sweet, earthy roasted organic beetroot at its heart set against a sharp, zesty dressing and a range of complementary flavours and textures. You can vary the ingredients according to your palate and what you have available.
I’ve made this dish with both “normal” beetroot and choggia (candystripe) beetroot, both grown organically in my garden, and it works just as well with either.
Freekeh is young green durum wheat that has been toasted or smoked and cracked. It imparts a subtle, smoky flavour to this dish. If you can’t source freekeh try using farro, barley, bulgar wheat, couscous or quinoa.
Barberries are small, slightly sour fruits used predominantly in Persian cooking. If you cannot source them use the same weight of dried cranberries, currants or sultanas in their place.
roast beetroot, halloumi and freekeh salad
Ingredients
2 large beetroot
250 g block halloumi cheese
250 g freekeh
40 g pine nuts, lightly toasted
25 g dried barberries
1 small red onion, finely sliced
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
for the dressing
80 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon zest
juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375°F, gas mark 5). Peel the beetroot and cut into 2-3 cm chunks. Place in a roasting dish. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to combine. Cover the roasting tin with a sheet of kitchen foil and place in the pre-heated oven to roast for 30 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the oven and set to one side to cool.
2. Rinse the freekeh and steam (preferably) or boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat, drain through a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Set to one side.
3. While the freekeh is cooking, place the barberries in a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave for 10 minutes then drain.
4. Cut the halloumi in half lengthways, then slice each half crossways into thin slices. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the halloumi slices (depending on the size of your pan you may need to fry them in batches). Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until soft and slightly coloured. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool.
4. For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic.
5. To assemble the salad, place the freekeh in a large bowl. Add the halloumi, beetroot, red onion, pine nuts, barberries, parsley and mint. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.
Categories: vegetarian
Tags: organic, pesticides, Suma
Very healthy!
Thank you for reminding us that ‘organic’ is how it always used to be until we began enriching chemical companies and wrecking the globe! With spring upon us Down Under this will soon be made: absolutely no problems buying any of the grains even rurally where I live but freekeh sounds ‘very alright’ 🙂 ! Well, barberries may have to be exchang3ed for cranberries . . . Love the pine nuts in the salad and the tahini in the dressing . . .
Thank you Eha 🙂
Good recipe with nice pictures 🙂
Looks so good! 🙂
That looks perfectly delicious! I am so so hungry now!
This recipe pushes all my buttons in a good way. Sensational ingredients. Yum, yum, yum! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
and thank you Peggy x
Interesting combination of ingredients! I bet it is delicious 🙂 It is great to be reminded about pesticides and so sad and upsetting to see the numbers… Really nice post!
Thank you Vero 🙂
I so agree -real food is ‘organic’, in tune with Slow Food principle. I would love to make this with farro or even coarse bulgar.
You know how I feel about organics, and not only on the edible garden. It shocks me what others throw to the curb as waste — I am all too happy to collect their carefully filled bags of leaves, shrub and turf clippings, and cardboard to sequester carbon on my small plot.
Aside from the halloumi, we can whip up this tantalizing salad with bulgar/farro and dried cranberries instead. You’ve got my mouth watering this morning!!
Thank you Shannon. It sounds like you’ve got a great compost production line there. 🙂
Ooooooh! Roasted beetroot and halloumi! A match made in foodie heaven. Looks lovely!
Thank you Vanessa 🙂
Thanks for the continual reminders for us when we become complaisant. And now I have a new post that I must write about organic planting. I’ll let you know when it is up.
Thank you Paol. Please do.
Looks colorful and delicious, amazing photos!
Thank you Krešo 🙂
I have some beetroots on my fridge and I was wondering what should I cook with them. I have just found the answer!Thanks! 🙂
Brilliant recipe – thank you!
Thank you Mike! Steve 😊
Great recipe, add a few more salad vegetables, doubled the mint and parsley
Thank you Den, I like the sound of you adaptation! 🙂 Steve