We’re not quite ready to transition from summer to autumn, from salads to soup. So this warm beetroot salad fills the gap. Since beetroots are in season now, they’re quick to cook. Adding aromatic oregano from Bassatin Baanoub for flavour brings a hint of Lebanon into a chilly kitchen.

Bassatin Baanoub keep their oregano fairly whole to maintain as much of the aroma as possible. Once dried, Origanum syriacum is more pungent that when fresh. In a hot oven, with Zejd’s extra virgin olive oil, the aroma is instantly released. It doesn’t take long to infuse the beetroots with their distinctive flavour. Long enough though to allow the edges of the red onion to catch a little for more flavour in the salad.

Out of the oven and left to cool a little, we add a final flourish to this simple but nourishing meal. On top of the colourful dish a “zorro” (to borrow from Mark Diacono‘s lexicon) of Zejd’s pomegranate molasses. For the tang and the pleasure of adding another ingredient with health giving potential.