Baked feta with beetroot and chickpeas

I'm always on the lookout for good, healthful recipes that are easy and will provide leftovers for lunch. As I work in an office with one grungy microwave servicing many, many people, if that lunch doesn't have to be warmed up, all the better.

I'm also a big fan of food writer Nigel Slater, and so, when I stumbled across his recipe for a salad of feta and beets, I was intrigued enough to give it a try.

The recipe seemed to combine things I likeed, and I already had the chickpeas and blood oranges on hand, so all I needed to get was the feta and beets. I took more than few liberties with the intial instructions, but I think my version turned out just fine.

I used far fewer chick peas than called for in the recipe, and less cheese as well (400 g is a heck of a lot of cheese -- especially for two servings!). And I skipped the mint and opted just for parsley instead.

I must say that the salad is best when the feta is warm and wobbly. Let me just say that a baked slab of feta, draped in thyme and olive oil will be a revelation for you. It certainly was for me.

The salad kept very well for lunch the next two days (this made a lot), though the beet juice stained all the chick peas a lovely scarlet red and tinged the cheese pink as well. If you don't mind a purple meal, this could be the ticket for you.

BAKED FETA WITH BEETROOT AND CHICKPEAS
Serves 2

For the chickpeas:
2 medium beetroot *I used three
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 small shallots *I used red oninon
1 tbsp Dijon mustard *I used grainy mustard
a pinch of sugar
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed *I used peas cooked from dry, probably about a cup or so total
2 blood oranges


For the baked feta:
400g feta *be warned..this is a lot
a few sprigs of thyme
a little olive oil

Trim the beetroot but do not peel them. Boil them in deep water (or bake wrapped in foil) for about 40 minutes, till tender. Peel, cut into thick wedges and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Place the feta in a small baking dish, add the thyme leaves and trickle over a little olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is soft and wobbly.

For the dressing, put the vinegar in a small bowl, stir in a ½ tsp of salt, then peel and very finely chop the shallots. Add the shallots to the dressing with the mustard and sugar, then beat in the olive oil. Stir in the chopped parsley, mint and chickpeas. Season with black pepper.

Peel the blood oranges and slice them thinly. Divide the dressed chickpeas between two shallow bowls. Add the oranges and beetroot. Divide the warm feta between the dishes. Pour over any juice from the baking dish (there may be very little) or trickle with a little fruity olive oil.

P.S. I recently read Nigel Slater's Eating for England, which is a collection of playful stories and recollections about the British and how they eat. It's a charming account of culinary icons, not all of which will be familiar to Canadians, but the affection with which Slater writes crosses borders.