Beetroot
Beetroot, like potatoes, will keep well in a cool dark place, but they can shrivel up a bit! An old plot holder recently shared a tip which may be useful to you.
Any beetroot glut (after cooking, eating, preserving or freezing) can be placed, unwashed, inside a sturdy plastic sack, and tied - adding a small stick or piece of bamboo cane, with string. The sack is then buried in a hole on the allotment, leaving the stick to protrude.
As the colder months arrive, the stick indicates
where your buried treasure is. Simply dig up the bag, remove the ‘as fresh as they day they were buried, beets’, replace the sack in its hole, and as we say in the UK, “Bob’s yer uncle!”.
You will have fresh beetroot all year round.
Little Beetroot Fairy Cakes frosting:
4oz/115g light soft brown sugar 10oz/300g cream cheese
5 tblsp sunflower oil 2 tblsp clear honey
2oz/60g low light melted butter zest of one orange - &
3 eggs a few small curls of fine peel
2 tblsp milk
Grated zest of 1 orange
3oz/85g finely chopped sultanas
3oz/85g chopped walnuts
6oz/175g beetroot, grated
6oz/175g self-raising flour
1 teasp baking powder.
Heat oven to 200 degrees/400 degrees f/gas 6.
Whisk together the sugar, oil, butter, eggs and milk, until smooth. Add orange zest, walnuts, sultanas and
beetroot. Mix together well.
Sift flour and baking powder together and fold into mixture. Don’t overmix.
Line paper cake cases onto a 12 bun tin.
Spoon mixture equally between the cases and bake for 20minutes.
Insert skewer into one cake and if it comes out clean, they should all be cooked.
Cool in tin. Transfer onto cooling rack until cold.
Beat cream cheese, honey and orange zest together.
Spread over top of cakes and decorate each cake with curl of orange peel.
BEETROOT AND RED ONION TARTE TATIN (CHEAP POSH NOSH)
14oz/400g Beetroot, cut into wedge shapes
1 red onion also cut into wedges
3 tblsp olive oil
2 tblsp rice wine vinegar
2 star anise
2 tblsp soft brown sugar
17.5oz/500g block of puff pastry
Zest of 1 orange
Peppery mixed green salad to serve.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Mix the beetroot and onion in 2 tblsp of the oil, add the vinegar and sugar.
Add the star anise and season well.
Heat the rest of the oil in a large, OVENPROOF, non-stick frying pan.
Lay the veg to entirely cover the bottom of this pan.
Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 45 mins.
Meanwhile, flour a work surface and roll out the pastry to approx. 1⁄4” /0.5cm thickness. Cut a circle the same
size as your frying pan. Sometimes a large pan lid works?
Carefully remove pan from oven.
Discard foil. Shuffle the beets and onions around the pan to make a compact layer.
Put the pastry on top of the veg tucking it in around the edges.
Return pan to oven for another 35 minutes (or until pastry has puffed up and is deep golden brown.)
Slide a palate knife around the edge of the tarte to loosen. Put a plate on top of the pastry, serving side down.
Flip the pan over to turn the tart out onto the plate – it will be very hot so take care.
Top with the orange zest and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Serve with a peppery salad on the side.
BEETROOT AND LIME SALSA SERVED WITH SALMON
7oz/200g cooked beetroot
2.5oz/70g feta
2 limes
2 salmon fillets with skin on.
Chop beetroot and feta into small cubes. Mix with the lime juice and zest.
Season to taste.
Season the salmon.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and when hot, add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes.
Flip over, lower the heat and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
Serve with the beetroot salsa, the remaining lime cut into wedges, and possibly – a green salad.
SMOKED MACKEREL, BEETROOT SALAD AND CREAMY HORSERADISH DRESSING
6-10 beetroots
5oz/140g puy lentils, cooked
Bunch of spring onions diagonally sliced
1 cored eating apple sliced thinly.
A little lemon juice squeezed over apple to prevent browning
A small radicchio, leaves separated and torn into bite sized chunks
8oz/250g smoked mackerel with skin and bones removed. Flake fish into chunky pieces.
Horseradish dressing
5fl oz/150ml pot of soured cream
Zest & juice of a lemon
2 tblsp creamed horseradish
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the unpeeled beetroots on a baking tray and roast for approx. 35-50 mins. Test by giving them a gentle squeeze - tender and a bit shriveled, they are done; if not, continue cooking.
When ready, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Using a small sharp knife, carefully peel the beetroots.
Cut into wedges (wear plastic gloves to prevent them staining your hands).
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Put the lentils, spring onions, apple, radicchio and mackerel in a large bowl, add half the dressing and toss it all together.
Pile the ingredients onto a serving plate, layering with the beetroots as you do.
Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
ABC CHUTNEY (apple, Beetroot & Chilli Chutney)
Plot Holder Colin’s recipe.
1lb 10oz/900g raw beetroot, peeled. Grate half the beetroot and finely dice the rest.
10oz/450g onion chopped small
10oz/450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced he same
1oz/25g/2 tblsp freshly grated ginger root
1 pint/600ml cider venigar (or mixture of cider & wine vinegars)
12.5oz/350g caster sugar
6 fresh red chillies chopped
1⁄2 teasp ground cardamon
3 tblsp runny honey
Juice of one lemon
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Put everything into a large, heavy duty pan or jam pot. Stir well and bring to the boil.
Simmer gently for 1.5 hours keerping an eye on it and stirring frequently.
Taste.
If a hotter chutney preferred, add a little chilli powder.
Using a funnel, ldel into hot sterilized jars, seal and label.
Fantastic with cheese, crusty bread and a slice of apple!
RUSSIAN BEET SALAD
1/3 med size red cabbage, shredded or very thinly sliced.
1 cup beetroot, grated (approx 1 beet)
1 cup grated carrot (appox 3 carrots)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup potato, peeled and grated
1⁄4 onion very finely diced.
1 clove garlic crushed
1⁄2 - 3⁄4 cup mayo
Salt and pepper
Heat some olive oil in a frying pan until a piece of raw potato sizzles in it.
Drop 1⁄4 cup of grated potato into the oil and fry, loosening until golden brown and crunchy. Drain on kitchen paper.
Mix the garlic into the mayo for the dressing.
Now place all the ingredients, including fried potato, in separate areas of a large platter, or shallow dish, sothey
remain apart from each other until ready to serve.
When its time to eat, mix all ingredients together and enjoy on its own or as a side dish.
Additional uses for BEETROOT:
Grate raw and serve with orange segments and water(or land) cress, smoked fish and a dollop of horserradish sauce.
Shred beetroot and stir fry with garlic and soy sauce.
If you are reading this and have a favourite beetroot recipe you are willing to share, please use our contact page and we will try to include it.