Chocolate and Beetroot Don’t Go!

Hate it or love it : Beetroot!

I used to hate it but now I love it. However, there is a place for beetroot and it’s not in chocolate cake. Chocolate doesn’t need beetroot and beetroot doesn’t need chocolate! My children are still reeling from the horror of tasting the said cake and are accusing me of not mentioning there was a vegetable in it – it MAY have slipped my mind! So, here are some recipes that don’t ‘hide’ the beetroot.

Why it’s good for you

Beetroot is a good dietary source of betaine and folate. Together these two nutrients work synergistically to reduce potentially toxic levels of homocysteine (a naturally occuring amino acid that can be harmful to blood vessels and, thereby, contributing to the development of heart disease, stroke and dementia).

Since beetroot is high in beta carotene and iron, it can help prevent anaemia especially in people who follow a vegetarian diet.

Warm beetroot, spinach and shallot salad
250g shallots
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Bunch of small raw beetroots, leaves reserved to serve
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
75g walnut pieces
350g baby spinach, washed and dried
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
For the pink peppercorn dressing
1 tsp dried pink peppercorns
1 tbsp cider vinegar
5 tbsp medium olive oil

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/ gas 5. Toss the shallots with half the oil and a sprinkling of sea salt in a roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the beetroots into a saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until just cooked, then drain and pop out of their skins.
After 30 minutes, add the garlic to the roasting shallots, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and roast for a further 10 minutes. Add the beetroots and walnuts, toss to coat in the oil and roast until the garlic is golden – a further 5-10 minutes.
Put the spinach in a large salad bowl and scatter with the fennel.
To make the dressing, crush the peppercorns and a little salt, and mix in the vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil a little at a time.
Spoon the shallots, garlic, walnuts and beetroots onto the spinach and fennel, and pour over the dressing. Add the beetroot leaves, toss everything well and serve warm.

Potato pancakes with spicy veg
500g cooked beetroot
2 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
125g honey or Agave syrup
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Big handful baby spinach
1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
For the pancakes:
700g floury potatoes
100g buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
400ml milk (soya or oat milk are OK too)
4 large free-range eggs
Butter, for frying

For the pancakes, cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of boiling water, until tender. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel and pass through a potato ricer (or sieve) into a bowl. Add the flour and baking powder and season well. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring to combine, then whisk in the eggs to make a thick batter. If you think the batter is too thick (all depends on the size of the eggs), add a little water.
Heat some oil in a 20cm frying pan over a medium-high heat and spoon in 2 large, heaped spoonfuls of the batter. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture over the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the mixture bubbles up, then turn the pancake and cook for a further minute on the other side.
Remove from the pan and keep warm while cooking the rest of the pancakes, lightly greasing the pan with a little oil between each one.
For the filling, cut the beetroot into wedges. Heat the oil and butter in a pan until the butter begins to foam, then add the beetroot. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then toss the beetroot in the butter and oil.
Add the honey or Agave and stir to coat the beetroot. Add the vinegar, nutmeg and seasoning, and cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spinach and pine nuts. Spoon some filling on to each pancake. You can serve with a little bowl of natural yoghurt.

Till next month, with love
Maria

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