Greek beetroot salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg beetroot, as small as possible, with stems and leaves.
• 4 tbsp vinegar (red wine vinegar)
• Salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 3 tbsp oil (olive oil), cold pressed
• Black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Patsaria salata

Trim the stems and leaves from the beetroot and wash the tubers thoroughly. Trim and rinse the stems and leaves. Cover the tubers with water and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat for 1-1.5 hours, until they are soft enough to pierce with a fork. Drain the beetroot, rinse with cold water, peel, halve, and cut into not-too-thin slices. Cut the stems and leaves into roughly 3cm pieces and cook separately, covered with water, for about 15 minutes, until soft but still firm. Stir in the vinegar and salt for the last 2 minutes. Once cooked, mix the beetroot pieces with the stems and leaves and let everything cool in the stock. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the garlic, rinse the parsley, shake dry, and finely chop the leaves. Remove the beets from the broth with a slotted spoon, place them in a bowl with olive oil, drizzle with a little more vinegar to taste, and garnish with pepper, garlic, and parsley. Serve in the bowl or on plates.