Beet Bruschetta & Chicken Pesto Salad - Spring Picnic Dinner

memorial weekend this year was a quiet affair. nuria and i stayed close to home, venturing out for late night movies and the farmer's market on sunday. it was a much needed respite from the hectic day to day, as well as preparation for what is shaping up to be a busy summer.



on sunday, we bought luscious beets: magenta, with dirt still clinging to its stems. we also bought a bunch of basil, for the sweet corn & basil ice cream. it was a hot day, one that sapped you of energy, one that you spent perpetually wet, either from a cool shower or from sweating.



for dinner that night, i boiled the beets, cubed them and dressed them with a light dijon mustard & lemon vinaigrette, served atop some thyme challah that nuria had baked. she had also created a fresh basil & almond pesto, which i mixed with roasted chicken from the previous evening's meal. all served with a glass of crisp, cold riesling.

doesn't that sound lovely? it was.

inspiration for the beet salad (note: we used pecorino romano cheese, as it was handy, and i made a very simple dressing of dijon mustard & lemon juice)

pesto recipe Nuria referenced, tho she used 3/4 cup of olive oil, did not add cheese, and used almonds instead.