THE MID-SEASON SALAD.

It involves beetroot. And the all-important 80/20 rule.

It’s not summer, and it’s not winter, but you still need a salad.

You’re in luck.  The leaves available are more interesting than at the height of summer now; tougher, with more personality, and a touch of lingering bitterness about their lot.

Dressings can be stronger, and more citrussy. Ingredients can be warm, or room temperature.

Vinegar is your friend – sherry, red wine, Asian rice vinegar. And mustard, of course, or a spoonful of yoghurt, or tahini in the vinaigrette will bring it all together creamily, and give every salad a point of difference.

THE 80/20 RULE

Salads, like all good food, need a bit of fat. If you’re worried about eating healthily (don’t - it’s the worry that will get you in the end, not the food), then apply the 80/20 rule.

Make your salad 80% good for you, with loads of vegetables, leaves, fresh fruit such as pears, crunchy nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds; and 20% whatever you feel like, which could be crisp bacon, anchovy fillets, creamy blue cheese, feta. Together, they add up to 100%.

Ten ideas to get you going:

Spiced lentils with diced roast pumpkin, red onion and bacon

Roasted root vegetables in mustard-honey-balsamic-olive oil dressing.

Udon noodles, silken tofu, spring onion and ginger dressing

Lemony rice salad with avocado, spinach and feta

Chickpeas, cracked wheat, harissa-roasted tomatoes, preserved lemons

Wild and fresh mushrooms with radicchio and pancetta

Tuna steak with warm mixed olives and red onion

Warm seafood salad with garlic crostini

Radicchio, pear and blue cheese salad

Wilted greens with frizzled onions, sultanas and pine nuts

THE ROLE OF BEETROOT

Look away now, all you beetroot-haters - normal transmission will resume shortly. And come gather in, beetroot-lovers, and let us commune and bond over our pink-tipped fingers and crimson-stained teeshirts.

Because beetroot is the guiding light of the mid-season salad. It has character and depth, which is what you’re after.

I remember standing in rich dark soil, two metres below sea level in the East Anglian Fens in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire. Beetroot country. I was there to report on the new season for The Times, and before me was row upon row of beetroot plants, the bulbs pushing their shoulders out, as if disrobing. But all I could see were the leaves, having learnt from Greek friends to give them equal value. The growers thought I was mad, taking home a huge bouquet of beetroot leaves for dinner.

So here’s a bright, tangy salad of beetroot, mandarin and haloumi to brighten our days, on a bed of wilted beetroot leaves.  If your leaves are too big or riddled with holes, use silver beet or spinach.

BEETROOT, LEAVES, HALOUMI AND MANDARIN SALAD

• 3 large beetroots, or 6 small

• Beetroot leaves, well-washed

• 1 pack haloumi, drained, patted dry

• 1 tbsp pistachios or walnuts, shelled

• 1 mandarin, peeled and segmented

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp mandarin juice

• 1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp honey

• Half tsp smoked paprika

• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Don’t peel the beetroot! Just give it a good scrub and cut the stalks short.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add 1 tsp salt and cook the beetroot at a simmer until tender when pierced with a bamboo skewer – probably around 30 minutes for smaller, 60 minutes for large, but no guarantees.

Drain and cool enough to handle. Rub off the skins in the sink, under the cold tap.

Slice the smaller beetroot. If large, either cut in half and slice, or cut into cubes; both are good.

Select the best and smallest leaves, trim off most of the stalks, and wilt in a hot fry pan, turning often as they soften. Drain well, squeezing out excess moisture.

Cut the haloumi into slices or cubes, and fry in a dry fry pan until browned, turning once.

Whisk the olive oil, mandarin juice, honey, vinegar, paprika, sea salt and pepper together.

To serve, place the wilted leaves down first, and coat in a spoonful of the dressing.

Add a tumble of beetroot, mandarin and haloumi, spoon over remaining dressing and scatter with pistachios, sea salt and pepper. Serves 2 to 4, depending on hunger.

# By all means, cut the stalks into short lengths and add to the beetroot pot for 10 minutes or until tender, then drain and reserve, to add to the salad.

# Feta would be good if you can’t find haloumi; just crumble over the top.

# Roast pumpkin would be divine with this as well. I’ll stop now.

QUICK PICKLED BEETROOT

If your need for pickled beetroot is great, then you can just turn one or two of the beetroot into a quick pickle. Not the whole sterilised-jars-keep-for-years palaver, just a sweet-salty brine over the top and leave for a day, then eat within a week. Here’s how:

Cook the beetroot as per the recipe above, then either slice or cut into cubes or large dice. Place in a large clean jar.

In a non-reactive pan, combine 200 ml white wine vinegar with 150 ml water, 125g sugar (your choice of soft brown or granulated), and 1 tbsp sea salt, 2 bay leaves, 4 peppercorns, 4 cloves and 12 coriander seeds, and bring to the boil.

Pour over the beetroot and seal with a lid. When cool, refrigerate overnight, then use in salads, sandwiches and burgers over the next few days.

Thanks for dropping by! And as always, thanks for your comments and suggestions. Special thanks to Terry for suggesting lemon juice will help fix beetroot-stained fingers so that I didn’t look like a crime suspect when we went out for dinner.

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to Elders past and present, and to the continuing strength and resilience of First Nations people, communities and cultures.