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PICK UP THE BEET
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F O O D E X T R A C T
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Sweet, earthy and delicious, British food writer Alice Hart takes the humble beetroot beyond the great Kiwi burger
the beet
Baby beets with yoghurt and herbs
Beetroot, lentil and coconut soup
Recipes and images extracted from The Magnificent Book of Vegetables: How to eat a rainbow every day by Alice Hart (Wellbeck, $65). Photography by Emma Lee.
Beetroot risotto with crisp sage and creme fraiche
Baby beets with yoghurt and herbs
SERVES 4 (as a starter)
Any beetroot colour will do in this prettiest and simplest of spring starters; it doesn’t matter much if you can’t find chioggia, the candy-striped varieties. Small beetroots are sweetest, but if you do use larger, older ones, cook four of them for an hour or so, as below, before slicing into wedges.
INGREDIENTS
12 small, candy-striped beetroot, scrubbed, and any tender, young leaves reserved 2 garlic cloves 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 4 Tbsp red wine vinegar 6 lemon thyme sprigs, plus extra leaves to serve Small handful of spring herb and salad leaves, such as dill, mint, pea shoots and thyme 300g goats’ milk Greek yoghurt (or standard Greek yoghurt) Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat oven to 190°C. 2 Put the beets in the middle of a large square of foil with the garlic cloves. Bring the foil up slightly to create a bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, half the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water. 3 Tuck the thyme sprigs in, scrunching the edges of the foil together to form a loose, but tightly sealed parcel. Place on a baking tray and cook for about 50 minutes until the beets are tender to the point of a knife. 4 Open, being careful not to lose any pink-red liquid sitting in the package. Strain the liquid into a small bowl and add the roast garlic, crushing it into the dressing. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and vinegar, taste and adjust the seasoning, as needed. It should be delightfully pink. 5 Gently rub or pare the skins away from the roast beets, halving or quartering them according to size. 6 Stir a good pinch of salt into the yoghurt to season and divide between small serving bowls. Spoon the warm, candy beets over the tender herb or salad leaves and any reserved, young beet leaves. Spoon the garish vinegar dressing over to finish, with an extra drizzle of good olive oil.
SERVES 4
A supper classic to emphasise that simple, vegetarian food can be sophisticated. Be delicate when cooking the rice, stirring in one direction as the Italians do and aiming for the just-tender rice to ‘flow ’ across the plate, rather than sitting in a sticky clag.
INGREDIENTS
1.1 litres vegetable stock 25g unsalted butter 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 small red onion, finely chopped 150ml red wine 275g Arborio or other risotto rice 2 medium beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated 50g parmesan-style cheese, finely grated 1 handful of sage leaves 4 Tbsp creme fraiche Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Put the stock in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover the stock pan with a lid and return to a low heat to simmer gently. 2 Melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a deep-sided frying pan and add the onion. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until soft but not coloured. 3 Increase the heat slightly and add the rice, stirring to coat it in the butter for about a minute. Pour the wine into the pan, allowing it to evaporate away to almost nothing. Stir in the grated beets and 1 ladleful of the simmering stock. Simmer, stirring until the stock has all but disappeared before adding a second ladleful. Keep stirring, simmering and adding stock in this way for about 18 minutes until the rice is tender, but retains a bit of bite. The mixture should be loose and flowing in texture. Remove from the heat, stir in half of the parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. 4 Meanwhile, in a frying pan set over a medium heat, gently fry the sage leaves in the remaining olive oil for a minute or two until fizzing but not coloured (they will crisp upon cooling). Season with salt and pepper and drain on paper towel. 5 Divide the risotto between bowls and dot scant teaspoonfuls of creme fraiche over, scattering with the sage leaves and remaining parmesan to finish.
Beetroot, lentil and coconut soup
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp coconut oil or peanut oil Large red onion, chopped 3 large thumbs of fresh ginger root, peeled 1 tsp fennel seeds 5 green cardamom pods, seeds only 1 large pinch of dried chilli flakes 150g red lentils, rinsed 500g beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped 800ml vegetable stock 400ml tin of thick coconut milk, well-shaken 2 tsp garam masala 1 red chilli, sliced About 20 fresh curry leaves Juice of 1 large lemon Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan set over a low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes until translucent. Roughly chop 2 of the ginger thumbs and add to the pan. Turn the heat up a notch and continue to cook for 5 minutes. 2 Stir in the fennel seeds, cardamom seeds, chilli flakes and lentils, giving the spices a minute to warm through and toast. Add the beetroot, stock and 250ml of the coconut milk, stir well, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Now reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 25–30 minutes until the beetroot and lentils are tender, stirring now and then to prevent the lentils sticking to the base of the pan. Stir in the garam masala and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Blend the soup in batches until velvet-smooth (preferably using an upright blender for best results). Return to the pan, gently heat through. 3 Slice the remaining ginger into fine matchsticks. Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in a frying pan set over a medium heat and add the ginger and sliced chilli. Season with salt and pepper and sizzle, stirring for 1–2 minutes until the ginger begins to frazzle. Throw in the curry leaves and stir to coat in the oil. After a few seconds they will begin to darken and look shiny. Remove the pan from the heat. 4 Stir the lemon juice into the hot soup and adjust the seasoning as needed. Divide between warmed bowls and finish with a swirl of the remaining coconut milk and the sizzled ginger mixture.
