Beetroot and broccoli salad

With its dramatic red colour, beetroot always makes a statement on the table.
Many of us had our first experience of this vegetable in the form of slices lifted from a tin of sweet-edged, vinegary liquid that were piled over a bed of iceberg lettuce, yet given more sympathetic treatment, the humble beet makes a seriously good contribution to a meal.
This recipe specifies that the beets should be baked rather than boiled. The treatment gives them a better texture and seems to enhance their flavour but, it is, admittedly, more time-consuming. If that is an issue, by all means boil them.
4 medium beetroot
1 head broccoli
juice half a lemon
6 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
half tsp sugar
sea salt
cracked black pepper
200g firm goat cheese, feta or similar
Set oven to 180C. Trim off beetroot's leaves and stalks, leaving a centimetre or so attached. Wrap each bulb in foil and bake until a toothpick meets little resistance. Unwrap and peel when cool enough to handle and cut bulbs into quarters.
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli head into florets. Peel the main broccoli stem down to its white centre and cut into matchsticks.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the florets. Boil 3 or 4 minutes, until cooked but still a little firm. Rinse, then place in a bowl of ice and water to set colour. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels. Put the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, sea salt and pepper in a screw-top jar and shake vigorously.
Salad: in a bowl, mix the beetroot and cheese with most of the dressing. Add broccoli, taking care not to break the florets, and the sticks of raw main stem. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
Serves 4 as a side dish
Wine match
Although this salad will usually be served on the side, it makes such a good partner for a middleweight pinot noir that perhaps it should be given the honour of dictating which main course dish it will accompany. Duck, in the form of a rare-seared breast or slow-cooked legs, would be perfect, and lamb would also work well. Instinct Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008 is from a new name on the block, but the winemaker is the highly experienced Kate Radburn, who spent many years at C J Pask wines in Hawkes Bay. The 2008 release is young, but already drinking well. It has a touch of the variety's typical "forest floor" character behind aromas that suggest crushed cherries and plums, and enough smooth, sweet-fruited flavours to bring out the best in the beetroot. At around $20, it's a bargain.