Beets & Green Salad

Recipe from Chef Gigi at Ohana Hospitality

(Serving size: 8 people)

Ingredients for Salad

Freshly picked bundles of mixed kale (dino & curly) & Swiss chard
4-8 mixed beets (depending on size)
A handful of crushed Macadamia nuts
8 oz. fresh local chèvre (I always use Truffle Chèvre from Door County Creamery)

Ingredients for Aronia Berry Umeboshi Vinaigrette

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup sesame oil
⅓ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
⅓ cup aronia & blueberry fruit extract
¼ cup umeboshi plum vinegar (usually found in natural food stores by Asian ingredients)

Instructions

1. Place beets in a pan with water and bring to a hard boil, cover, and put on a simmer. After a good 15-20 minutes check by taking a beet out. When you can pour cold water over it & skin slides off with your hands it’s perfectly poached. Remove skin from all the beets, allow them to cool, and thinly slice them to your desired shape right before plating.

2. Place frozen berries in a saucepan on low heat, as the berries start to crackle in the pan and heat up and begin to muddle them in the pan to extract their juices. If the pan feels dry add a spritz of water to aid in extraction. Once all liquid is extracted, strain out the skin by pouring through a fine sieve. This will be added to the dressing when cooled. NOTE: You can do this step alongside the beets because it also requires cooling. Also the quantity of berries should be minimum 1c each but feel free to make more to add to any other sauce or dressing.

3. Make the dressing: Get a sterilized, pint-size Mason Jar, add all the ingredients into the jar, vigorously shake the vinaigrette until everything is combined, and place in the fridge with lid until ready to toss.

4. Pick your greens and prep your kale by pulling greens off center to just get leafy tender parts, and slice fine into bite size pieces.

5. Dice rainbow chard into ½ inch pieces.

6. Place greens in a mixing bowl and toss with dressing allowing a bit of time for greens to wilt and marinade.

7. Transfer greens to family-style serving bowl.

8. Place beets around the bowl in any pattern you like!

9. With a spoon and knife, arrange eight spoon fulls of chèvre around the bowl.

10. Dust the salad with your Macadamia nuts.

11. Add any edible flowers or other goodies you might have on hand to add colors and textures.

As served at the table by Ohana Hospitality at our August 21st, 2022 event at Hidden Acres in Door County, WI.

A Note from Chef Gigi:

I learned how to make this salad dressing about two decades ago from Chef Consuelo on Maui. It was very exciting to learn about Umeboshi Plum, as it is a star in Japanese cuisine and lifestyle. Its salt content is gorgeous in this salad. As a result, no salt or spices are needed—it is the salt, and lends that wonderfully umami experience with its own simplicity. Consuelo would have the plums on hand and force one under both of our tongues to suck on until it dissolved. We would do this to help us in times when we felt fatigue or indigestion in our lives as hardworking mamas and chefs. It is a crazy thing to try—I highly recommend it! The difference in my version of this dressing is in adding Aronia berries, which is a superfood that grows here in Wisconsin. The combination creates, not only something extra pretty to look at, but the health benefits are incredible.

Thank you for allowing me to share, and aloha!

Chef Gigi

P.S. I invite you to be playful when making this salad! Remember, that you can always add more or less of anything. Please explore your way and remain open to tweaking this and other recipes to make them your own.