Discover the Surprising Vegan Beet Salad Offered at Nolita's Gran Tivoli
In the heart of Nolita, Gran Tivoli, a renowned omnivorous restaurant, is making waves in the culinary world by introducing a vegan dish that is as flavourful as it is creative. The **salt-baked beet salad** is a testament to the growing influence of vegan cuisine in mainstream dining, inspiring restaurants to offer more plant-based options that appeal to all diners.
This innovative salad, crafted by Chef Robert Marchetti, showcases the creative and flavourful use of vegetables, a trend inspired by vegan culinary methods. The beets, baked in Italian rock salt, are a perfect example of enhancing natural flavours and textures, making the dish both appealing and satisfying for all customers.
The salt-baked beet salad is a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, and salty flavours. The beets are accompanied by housemade cashew cheese, a dairy-free alternative that is increasingly being used in menus for omnivorous restaurants. The cashew cheese, made by soaking organic cashews in purified water for two days, pureeing them with a little fresh purified water, olive oil, and salt, provides a creamy contrast to the earthy sweetness of the beets.
The salad is further enlivened by the addition of sorrel, which adds some citrus notes, and pickled sour strawberries. These strawberries, with their further acidity, play off the fat of the cheese and the earthy sweetness of the beets, creating a symphony of flavours that burst in the mouth.
The inclusion of pickled sour strawberries in the salt-baked beet salad can be traced back to Italy, where strawberries have been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes for centuries. The Italian rock salt used in the beet salad removes water content and concentrates flavour, creating a more stable beet for cutting.
Chef Robert Marchetti, whose Italian family is predominantly vegetarian and vegan by circumstance, appreciates the sweet and sour balance that strawberries add to the beets in the salt-baked beet salad. This culinary shift at Gran Tivoli supports wider goals of health, sustainability, and inclusivity on menus, appealing to a broad customer base beyond just vegans.
In a world where plant-based menus are expanding beyond niche offerings to become versatile, globally influenced, and locally sourced, the salt-baked beet salad at Gran Tivoli is a shining example of this trend. It is a plant-based dish that feels of a part with the full omnivorous menu, demonstrating that vegan cuisine is not just for vegans, but for everyone who appreciates good food.
[1] Vegan Trends Influencing Omnivorous Restaurants: A Look at the Future of Plant-Based Dining. (2022). Retrieved from [https://www.plantbasednews.org/magazine/vegan-trends-influencing-omnivorous-restaurants-look-future-plant-based-dining]
[2] The Rise of Veganism and Its Impact on the Food Industry. (2021). Retrieved from [https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/05/28/The-rise-of-veganism-and-its-impact-on-the-food-industry]
- The salt-baked beet salad, crafted by Chef Robert Marchetti at Gran Tivoli, demonstrates the impact of vegan culinary methods on the lifestyle and health-and-wellness aspects of food-and-drink, as the innovative dish showcases the creative use of vegetables and plant-based alternatives.
- As a result of the growing trend in vegan cuisine, the salt-baked beet salad, featuring Italian rock salt, sorrel, pickled sour strawberries, and housemade cashew cheese, exemplifies how plant-based options can cater to the preferences of omnivorous diners, making way for healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive menus in the wider food-and-drink industry.
