It’s beetroot, omg…

(serves 2) 

 

I wish more food was pink and purple! Unusual food colours are exciting. I love how beetroot stains your plate after you’ve finished, visually proclaiming “I am beetroot, I was here”. How the juice stains your fingers and clings to your knife when you cut into one. How enticing it looks when you place your peeler on a fresh one, remove the first of the dull outer layer and expose that first burst of rich vibrancy on the inside… YES BEETROOT.  

I don’t live very far from Keelham Farm Shop and at the weekend I saw they had some great quality ones in with their stems and leaves still attached. Bigger than the ones seen in supermarkets, firm and smooth with really fresh looking leaves. Perfect. Beetroot fact of the day: the leafy bits contain more nutrients than the beetroot itself.

There might be a misconception that the greens are inedible because you don’t see them attached to beetroot available in the bigger shops, but they are a great source of calcium, iron, vitamins A and C. The calcium bit is particularly handy for vegans to know; another leafy green variety to try out. Dairy isn’t the only calcium source.

The root itself provides fibre and potassium. Even more so if consumed raw (put some fresh beetroot in your smoothies or hummus!). The leaves can taste quite bitter uncooked, so masking the flavour, again, in a smoothie is an ideal way to get the full nutritional benefit.

I fancied getting a bit more creative, though, so here’s how I made this spiced, coconutty beetroot with wilted beetroot greens…

INGREDIENTS

• 2 fresh beetroot with leaves/stems attached
• Creamed coconut mixed in 200ml hot water OR 200ml coconut milk
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• Glug of olive oil
• Drizzle of tahini and sriracha (optional)  

METHOD

• Cut off the beetroot greens, wash very thoroughly. Set aside. Peel the beetroot and dice into approx 1cm cubes.
• Heat a small amount of oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cook on a medium heat for 10 mins until browned.
• Add the ginger and cook for a further 2 mins, stirring to prevent sticking. Add in all the rest of the spices, fresh chilli and salt, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to coat all the ingredients.  
• Add the diced beetroot, again stirring very well to coat everything in the spice mix. Cook for 2 mins on the medium heat to soften.
• Add the creamed coconut OR coconut milk. Stir, cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to cook for 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the beetroot is tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Beetroot greens…

• Chop the stems and leaves into bite-size pieces. Cook the stems first, in a pan (lid on) with a small amount of olive oil for 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add the leaves which take less time to become tender, and cook for another 3 minutes.  

I served my cooked greens with a light drizzle of tahini paste, topped with the spiced beetroot and some sriracha sauce (I mentioned in another post I’m a bit addicted), but it’s entirely up to you and your spice preference! The cooking of the beetroot brought out the natural earthy sweetness, which balanced really well with the spicy coating. The beetroot greens had a milder earthy flavour, similar to spinach and chard. My non-vegan mum had some of this for lunch and loved it, and she’s usually my toughest critic. So it was well worth it! Full of flavour, textures, nutrients and almost no fat. Get to your local farm shop and buy some lovely beetroot with their tops on!

S.x

Ps – BEETROOT CRISPS! Slice a fresh one very thinly (use a mandolin slicer if possible). Place on a baking tray, making sure the slices don’t overlap. Brush very lightly with oil and bake on 190 degrees C for half an hour. Result = crunchy tasty times.