Pantzarosalata or beetroot the Greek way
While I am cutting the beetroot for this salad, I am getting visions of times spend in Greece. Long, warm summers by the beach. The smell of fresh fish being grilled on the barbecue. Old men hanging around in the pubs drinking their ouzo (at 8 in the morning if need be!) and that rosy feeling you get after spending a day by the beach or in the open jeep driving around the country. I love Greece. We used to go there almost every year during the first years that Tom and I knew each other. We had no money to go to any far away destination so we always looked for the cheaper options and Greece was always a good choice. Short flight, good deals and fantastic results! So we spend plenty a holiday in Crete, Thassos, Samos, Lesbos and Zakynthos. We drank many an ouzo and many more retsina on our little balcony overlooking the sea (well sometimes overlooking the sea) and in general it was always nice and always relaxing.
But then we got tired of doing the same kind of holiday and we wanted to go further away and see more exotic places. So we went of and saw a bit of the world. But I miss Greece. I miss the laid back atmosphere, the friendly people, the wonderful food and lazy days at the beach. So while Charlotte and I were preparing our Greek dishes for dinner that night, I kind of decided we have to go back to Greece someday soon. Maybe not next year, although by the look of things, there might not be any holiday for a while (mind you, I’m going to Dubai in two weeks and then Mexico in a month, so no complaining from me!)
Pantzarosalata, tzatziki and melitzanosalata
This beetroot salad is surprisingly delicious. I say surprisingly as there are really only a handful of ingredients in there and I didn’t expect to like it so much! But we had beetroot leftover, eggplant leftover and some Greek yoghurt so a Greek mezze table it was!
Pantzarosalata or beetroot salad the Greek way
Ingredients
- 500 gr beetroot cooked
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tbsp of flatleaf parsley chopped finely
- 340 gr Greek yogurt
- 10 gr peeled pistachio chopped
Instructions
- Cut the beetroot into pieces, not too small and not too big. Don't grate it.
- Mix the olive and the lemonjuice together and pour over the beetroot. Mix and add the parsley as well, season with salt and pepper.
- Ad the yoghurt and spoon everything together till it becomes nice and pink. Sprinkle the pistachio's on top and serve
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Lovely recipe. Â Simple yet a little but posher than you get in the average Greek restaurant.Â
Thanks Phil!