Beetroot…three ways…

Having purchased a bunch of fresh beetroot to make my pickled turnips (previous post) I then had several left to use…the followed dishes therefore include raw, boiled (as in the salad above) and roasted beetroot…

When using beetroot, in all forms, I would advise: ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES!!!

The raw beetroot went into flatbreads; I washed the skin then grated a beetroot and put it into a food processor along with a selection of spices, some rapeseed oil, chapati flour and a splash of water, and processed it until it created a ‘dough’…

I brought it together by feel, it didn’t need much water at all. I then left it in the fridge to rest until I wanted to use it…

To make the breads, with floured hands, I took a handful of the dough, and flattened it into a flatbread, not too thin and not too thick, ready to cook. I heated my ‘tawa’ pan over a medium heat, then cooked the breads on both sides for several minutes, until cooked through. The breads remain quite moist, and are a perfect way to get kids eating beetroot, as well as us lucky adults! 

They are lovely eaten fresh, and reheat well the next day in the toaster. 

To boil the beetroot, I removed the top and bottom stalky bits, then chopped the beetroots into wedges and boiled until soft, but not mushy. Once cooked I drained them and allowed the wedges to cool slightly, then peeled off the skin, it comes off really easily with your hands. Some of these went into salads and dips, and some I then roasted for an extra punch. 

I find beetroot quite sweet, so I tend to pair it with lemon juice or preserved lemons, or goats cheese, ingredients that will help to even out the sweetness. 

This dip was a mix of boiled beetroot, tahini, lemon juice and chopped preserved lemons, mashed so that it remained chunky. 

This salad used the boiled and roasted beetroot mixed with chopped parsley and dill, chopped preserved lemons, whole roasted hazelnuts and a dressing of Verjus and argan oil. 

And similar to the previous one, this salad includes still warm boiled beetroot, chopped parsley & dill, my chermoula spice mix, labneh, crushed hazelnuts and olive oil. With the beetroot being warm it made it all lovely and a bit gluggy 😉 

I hope you like my beetroot creations – I shall be taking them along to this week’s Fiesta Friday (better late than never!) and hope that everyone likes my ideas, especially the co hosts, Loretta and Natalie. Enjoy your weekend!