Warm winter salad of pickled beetroot, artichoke, quinoa, spinach, orange segments and honey dressing

This is a simple winter salad which should be eaten while the different components are hot. The quinoa used is a so called modern super food; however the Inca people of 5000 years ago were eating this grain to the benefit of their health.

Serves 6
200g of quinoa
3 medium beetroot
12 artichokes
500g of baby spinach
1 lemon
2 oranges
100ml of good olive oil
25ml of white wine vinegar
1 tblsp of Dijon mustard
2tblsp of honey
Salt and pepper

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with plenty of water, bring it to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain in a fine sieve, rinse under cold water and leave to dry.
Wash the beetroot and season with salt and pepper and wrap in tinfoil, bake in a hot oven for 40 minutes or until the beetroot is cooked.
Peel the artichokes and put into lemon water to stop them from oxidising, cook for five minutes in boiling salted water, set aside.
Peel the orange with a knife removing all the pith and segment it, set these aside. Now make the dressing by whisking the vinegar with the mustard and honey, pour in the olive oil very slowly until the dressing comes together.
Now peel the warm beetroot and cut into cubes, slice the artichokes and assemble on a plate with the orange segments, crumble the quinoa over this and drizzle with the dressing, eat at once…