Latvian salad
The creamy, tangy dressing and chopped herbs are the stars of this Latvian salad. You can swap the vegetables to your taste, swapping beetroot for tomato, for example. If you can’t find Latvian cheese, feta works perfectly well as a substitute.
Ingredients
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú barley, rinsed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large handfuls dark salad leaves including spinach
- 200g/7oz green beans, topped and tailed
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 2 cooked beetroot, diced
- small bunch of dill, leaves only
- small bunch of parsley, leaves only
- small bunch of mint, leaves only
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú crumbly Latvian cheese or feta
- 50g/2oz walnuts, lightly toasted
For the dressing
- 100ml/3½fl oz buttermilk
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or wine vinegar
- ½ garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
- 1 tsp honey
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To garnish
- 1 pomegranate, seeds only
Method
Put the barley in a saucepan, cover with cold water. Season with salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for around 30 minutes until the barley is just cooked through – it should still have a bite. Drain, drizzle with the olive oil and leave to cool.
Bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the green beans for a couple of minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water.
For the dressing, whisk the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the salad leaves on a large platter. Add the beans, radishes and beetroot, then sprinkle over the herbs, barley, cheese and walnuts, tossing very slightly to combine well.
Drizzle over the salad dressing, garnish with the pomegranate seeds and serve.
