Fancy beets

As you may be aware (or not) stripes are very now. Even the vegetables seem to be following suit - beets come with stripes now! In reality, the funny-looking beets I used in this salad have been around longer than the latest fashion trend, they are an old species called Chioggia, rarely grown nowadays but you may find it on farmers' markets or in specialised shops. I was warned that cooking would slightly blur the colours so I used the stripy fellows raw, making a

Salad of beets, feta and japanese greens (serves 2)

- 1 Chioggia beet, peeled and sliced as thinly as possible
- 2 large handfulls of japanese* greens or other peppery leaves such as rocket or watercress
- 60 g feta cheese
- vinaigrette made of salt, pepper, mustard, balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Dress the salad greens with the vinaigrette and put on the plates. Arrange the beet slices on the salad and crumble the feta cheese on top.

Put on a matching jumper and tuck in.

* Don't ask me whether the salad leaves I used are actually japanese. It's what the tag next to them said anyway. They're extremely aromatic - I love to mix several of them and be surprised with every bite I take. Sadly, I don't think the Boyfriend shares my enthusiasm.