Best In Season - October - written by Chef Consultant, Celia Brooks
Bloody Beautiful Beetroot
Beetroot divides people. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who is ambivalent about beetroot – it’s love it or hate it. Hardly surprising for a food with such an alpha personality: as soon as you cut it, it truly bleeds and wreaks havoc on your hands, tools and work area; its colour dominates any other ingredients that come into contact with it; and its distinctive earthy, sweet flavour sings the solo in every chorus of flavours. Its irrepressibility makes it both irresistible and irritating. Such is the fate of a total prima donna. Who’d have thought a grubby little root could scrub up to be so polarising?
Opinions aside, the beet is a hugely significant food source worldwide for humans and animals, for both its root and greenery. In the mid 1700s a German scientist discovered that a certain white beet contained high levels of sucrose, at a time when world domination was based on trade between empires, and sugar was gold, along with slavery. This led to the breeding of a new plant – a high-sucrose “Frankenveg”, the sugar beet – specifically for sugar extraction, which could be grown in temperate climates to rival tropical sugarcane, previously the only source of sugar. This was a game changer. Sugar beet is still a major global cash cow, providing up to 30% of the world’s refined sugar. It’s a major British crop and the sole source for manufacturing Silver Spoon brand sugar.
Good old red beetroot’s nutritional superpower lies in its betalains – powerful antioxidants which are excellent for heart health, detoxifying the body, and protecting from cancer. It also contains a chemical compound called geosmin, which explains the earthy flavour of beetroot. Geosmin is also responsible for that lovely smell after rainfall. There are hundreds of beetroot varieties, and some have been bred to minimise geosmin and also to eliminate the magenta assault. Chioggia and Candy beetroot have pink and white stripes, and there are also golden and white varieties.
If the roots have the fresh and lively leaves intact, so much the better, as it’s a bonus vegetable (see my recipe below), and it also means they are very fresh. Do choose fresh beetroots that feel hard as a rock. Store in a sealed plastic bag inside the fridge in the crisper drawer.
Some easy ways with beetroot:
Roasted balsamic beetroot: Toss smaller scrubbed roots with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper in a lined baking dish. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and add a few thyme sprigs, if desired. Bake at 200C until tender throughout.
Smashed fried beetroot: Boil small fresh beetroots in well-salted water with a little vinegar until completely tender, then cool and trim just the root spindles. Place the beetroots one at a time between two sheets of baking paper and crush them until fairly flat but still intact, then gently fry in a little olive oil until crisp on both sides, turning once.
Beetroot & coconut soup: Use pre-cooked beetroot, or boil and skin fresh beetroots. Chop and simmer in half veg stock, half coconut milk to cover, and season with lemon juice and zest, ground cumin and garlic, then puree.
Ultimate Baked Beetroot & Its Greens
From “SuperVeg” by Celia Brooks
Fans of beetroot will swoon at every stage of creating this homage to the mighty crimson root - especially the eating part – and also engaging with its botanical beauty and watching it do its thing with its unfathomable and savage colour. It’s one of a kind.
This is my ultimate treatment for a lovely bunch of relatively freshly dug beetroots, fresh enough that their delicious greens are still shiny and lively, their pink stems still taut and crisp. If the greengrocer has removed this precious cargo from the roots, it is probably because the leaves are past their best - the roots keep much longer than the greens, and it may be late in the season. You can substitute chard or spinach.
This spectacular dish is gluten free, dairy free and vegan.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
500g fresh beetroots, about 6 small – medium (untrimmed weight minus weight of greens)
300g beetroot greens (alternative see above) (total bunch weight about 800g)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + more for brushing
2 teaspoons good balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml coconut milk
60g pistachio kernels (no shells), pounded or chopped with a large pinch of salt
OPTION:
Substitute flaked almonds or hazelnuts if pistachios are not available
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180C and brush the dish generously with oil. Bring the dish near your chopping board.
2) Scrub the beetroots and drain. (Now you may wish to put on some gloves to stop your hands getting stained.) Do not peel, but cut off the root and any scraggles. Pare the rough bits at the top. Slice quite thinly and toss in the dish as you go.
3) Add the oil and balsamic to the beet slices along with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat evenly and spread out to cover the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil, place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, prepare the greens. They tend to harbour a lot of dirt. Rinse both leaves and stems first under cold running water and drain the sink thoroughly. Discard any limp or yellowing leaves. Fill the sink to submerge the greens and jostle them about. Leave them while the remaining grit settles. After about 5 - 10 minutes, lift them out into a colander.
5) Grab a lidded pan that will accommodate the greens. Chop leaves and stems roughly and place in the pan as you go. Place the pan over a medium heat with just a pinch of salt (no need to add water unless they have dried off completely).
Stir, then cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves have collapsed. Drain and set aside.
6) When 30 minutes is up on the roots, remove the dish from the oven and distribute the cooked greens over the top. Pour over the coconut milk. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, by which time the roots and greens should be gently bubbling in a thick magenta emulsion.
7) Scatter the crushed pistachios (or alternative nuts) over the top. Return to the oven for 5-7 minutes, until the nuts are light golden. Serve right away, or at room temperature.
