Promising

There were about twenty New Holland honey eaters in the almond tree this morning, feasting on the first spring flowers. The first asparagus spear has broken through the ground, the promise of spring is close!
We have had such a fantastic crop of beetroot this year and it is time to start using them just in case they bolt to seed in the next few weeks with the warmer weather. This is a lovely salad made from grated raw beetroot. The finer you can grate the beetroot the better the flavor. I used a micro plane grater which will give you a finer texture than using a box grater. I used 2 small beetroots to make the salad which made enough for 4 people.

GRATED BEETROOT AND ORANGE ZEST SALAD
2 cups of finely grated fresh beetroot
1 small orange
¼ cup flat leaf parsley leaves
a few sprigs of fresh mint leaves, torn
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Wash and peel the beetroot and grate as finely as you can. Remove the zest from the orange using a zester. Combine together the grated beetroot, orange zest, torn mint leaves and parsley leaves. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix together. Expect beetroot stained hands if you choose to use your fingers.