CANDY BEETS
To celebrate the end of my autumn Cleanse + Reset, I made a quick autumnal “salad” with lots of different textures focusing on Vata-balancing tastes for the Vata weather we’re experiencing in the Northern hemisphere. This weather takes us through to around mid-winter where we progress into Kapha season until roughly the end of spring.
The star of the show was candy-striped beets, known as chioggia, that I found on Sunday at the brand new mini farmers’ market that popped up in my local park (just about the most exciting thing having once lived a stone's throw from both Borough Market and Oval Market for 10 years). Chioggia, named after the Italian town they were first discovered, are usually a little sweeter than the usual beetroots and those pink and white stripes make a dish pop any way you prep them. It could be a fun way to get kids and even adult beetroot skeptics excited about a veg that can still divide a room.
A quick kitchen raid of the fridge, freezer and herb pot had my roasted beetroot cubes in ghee, cumin and maple syrup (to make them extra candy) tossed with peas, olives and mint for a tasty bowl packed with sweet, earthy, lightly spiced dish with a salty tang and a fresh finish that would make a delicious side or a main with some lentils or my other serving suggestions below thrown in. A squeeze of lemon juice wouldn’t go amiss here either if you fancy a touch more sour. This dish is delicious served warm but also works well for the lunchbox — just bring it up to room temp before eating it, both for the flavour and better digestion.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
1 very large beetroot (or 2-3 smaller ones — the usual purple ones will do too!)
½ tbsp of cumin seeds
1 tbsp of ghee, or your vegetable oil of choice
1 tbsp of maple syrup
Large pinch of sea salt
Small handful of olives, halved or quartered and stoned if necessary
Large handful of peas (steamed or thrown into the tray for cooking at the last minute)
A few sprigs of fresh mint, rough chopped plus a few leaves to garnish
METHOD
Wash and chop the beetroot into 1-inch chunks (if the beetroots are not organic, use a special veg wash or peel).
Place on a tray with a tablespoon of soft ghee.
Drizzle over the maple syrup, sprinkle with the sea salt and cumin seeds and use your hand to combine.
Roast at 200°C for 15-20 minutes, turning once until lightly caramelised on the edges and tender.
Remove the tray from the oven, scatter over the olives, cooked peas and mint.
Taste, adjust seasoning and add a little lemon juice if needed for extra tang. Serve warm.
East by West tips:
If using frozen peas toss them in with the beetroot for the last 5 mins of cooking.
Serve with a little soft fresh cheese like paneer (page 254 in East by West), some hummus, a poached egg or a rice and lentil pilaf if you like.
Check out the video here to see the finished dish.
