Beetroot Salads

My earliest childhood memory of beetroot is seeing the creamy pink, ring gelatine moulds that brought life to the tressle tables at the church bazaar. At four, I remember being captivated by this intensely pink vegetable and liking it instinctively. Many years have past and my love of beetroot hasn’t waned, so much so that I dreamt up this lentil and caramelised beetroot recipe as the starter on my wedding menu.

Bright pink beetroot pancakes, rich beetroot and chocolate cake… The colour and flavour of beetroot adds playfulness to any dish. It can be prepared in a variety of ways, making it enjoyable to experiment with. Apart from that, this sweet-tasting root is rich in folic acid and potassium, as well as having detoxifying properties. If you buy beetroot with the leaves on, chop them roughly and add them to your salad; they are as rich in iron and vitamin C as spinach leaves.

Here are two innovative beetroot salad recipes that are sure to give any lunch or dinner party that wow- factor.
Enjoy!

Lentil and Caramelised Beetroot Salad with crème fraiche dressing
(Makes 4 portions)

Ingredients:
2 cups of uncooked green/brown lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
4-6 beetroots
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
250 ml crème fraiche
1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Pinch of salt and ground black pepper
150-200g mixed lettuce leaves
Small bunch dill leaves/chives

Method:

Wash the beetroot well under running water. Bring salted water to the boil in a pot, add the beetroot and boil until they are tender. Drain and allow them to cool. Gently peel the outer skin off with your hands and slice the beetroots into wedges.
Cover the lentils with water in a small pot. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding water to cover the lentils, as needed. Boil until soft, and then drain. While hot, drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and ground black pepper.
To make the syrup, carefully melt the brown sugar on a medium heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and the spices. Toss the beetroot wedges in the syrup on a low heat until the beetroots are coated and sticky. Remove from the heat and allow them to cool in the syrup.
Wash the leaves and toss them in a light olive oil. Finely chop the dill or the chives and mix this and the lemon juice into the crème fraiche.
To assemble the salad, place a bed of lentil on each plate. Drizzle the remaining balsamic reduction over the lentils. Arrange the beetroots and lettuce leaves on top with dollops of crème fraiche to serve.

Variations: Serve this salad with flaked, hot smoked salmon as a dinner starter or add orange segments for a fresh summer lunch.

For an absolute treat: peel the beets and chop them in quarters. Toss them in extra-virgin olive oil, a drizzle of runny honey and a dash of good quality balsamic vinegar with a few sprigs of thyme. Slowly roast the beetroot for 20-30 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius or until soft and caramelized. The result is smokey, sweet beetroot wedges to use in a salad or serve as a side dish

Beetroot ‘Carpaccio’ with seasonal greens
(Makes 4-6 salad portions)

Ingredients:

4-6 medium sized beetroots
60 ml olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp basil pesto
Salt and milled black pepper
150-200 g mixed greens
Basil leaves for garnish
Onion sprouts

Method:

Boil the beetroot until tender but not soft, firm enough to thinly slice.
Allow them to cool and peel the outer skin off with your hands.
Thinly slice them on a mandolin or with a sharp knife and lay out on a plate.
To make the marinade, combine the vinegar, the olive oil and the pesto with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper.
Drizzle the marinade over the beetroot, cover and allow to infuse for a few hours in the fridge.
To serve, lay the beetroot out slightly overlapping on a plate and make a small salad in the middle. Drizzle the left over marinade over as a dressing.
Garnish with basil leaves and sprouts.

Mushroom Phyllo Parcels

This recipe is a celebration of wild mushrooms– a crispy phyllo pocket bursting with creamy leeks, delicate spinach and a variety of exotic mushrooms from your local market. Serve it as an evening apperitif or with a seasonal salad, as a light lunch.

I’ve only recently discovered the diverse variety of the mushrooms now farmed in South Africa. It seems our South African palate is growing an appreciation for the exotic edible fungi of the Far East. The flavours of Golden Chanterelle, with their fruity aroma of apricot, smokey Shiitake and the nutty, earthy flavours of Porcini mushrooms are so inspiring, I can’t help but conjure up adventurous combinations.

For a simple dish that really allows you to appreciate the unique textures and flavours of our locally grown mushrooms, fry your choice of wild mushrooms in a little butter, with a sprinkle of salt to bring out the delicate flavours. Toss the mushrooms with fresh egg tagliatelle, good quality olive oil and shavings of parmesan cheese for a simple, but delicious spring lunch.

Tips:
When storing mushrooms don’t keep them in plastic or a sealed bag. Store them uncovered in the fridge with as much airflow around them as possible – a brown paper bag or clean muslin cloth works well.
Before cooking simply wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth to avoid getting their spongy flesh absorbing too much water.
When frying mushrooms, make sure the pan is very hot, don’t add too much olive oil and fry small quantities as a time, to prevent them from getting soggy.
Fresh herbs that compliment mushrooms are parsley, thyme, rosemary and fresh or dry tarragon.

Mushroom, leek and Spinach Phyllo Parcels
Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 leeks
300g mushrooms (Portobello and a variety of wild mushrooms)
400g spinach leaves
100-150 ml cream
2 bay leaves
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
25g fresh tarragon/Italian flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
6 sheets of phyllo pastry
100 ml white wine
Olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper


Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Slice the leaks lengthways, wash them very well and cut them finely.
Use a damp cloth or piece of kitchen towel to wipe the mushrooms clean, if necessary.
If using regular spinach, wash and remove the stalks.
Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pot on a medium heat; add the onions, garlic, thyme and one bay leaf. Stir briefly, reduce the heat and cover with a lid until the onions are soft and translucent. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Cook the mushrooms in two batches in a large frying pan with not too much oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms to the onions in the bowl.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan and sauté the leeks with a little salt, a bay leaf and a grating of nutmeg. When the leeks are hot, add the white wine. Cook the leeks until they are soft and most of the wine has evaporated. Add the leeks to the mushrooms and the onions.
Wilt the spinach in a hot pan in two batches and add this to the vegetable mix.
Add the chopped tarragon and 100 ml of cream, give it a good mix, and if needed, add the extra 50 ml of cream.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the parcels, lay two sheets of phyllo pastry out on a working surface and cut into strips approximately 10 cm wide.
For each strip (parcel), brush the whole bottom layer with melted butter and place the other pastry layer on top. Spoon your filling on the bottom end of the strip. Fold the bottom corner diagonally over to the opposite edge. Then fold the triangularly shaped parcel again to the opposite side, continue to the end of the pastry strip. Brush the parcels with butter and bake for 20 minutes until golden and crispy.
Serve warm.

Pear and Raspberry Crumble

Growing up in a family who loves food, we have each developed our unique speciality in the kitchen. My father cooks fresh fish to perfection, my younger brother is the crayfish expert, my eldest brother is the coffee fanatic, I make the desserts, and my mother simply fills in all the gaps.

My mother involved me in the kitchen, grating cheese or peeling carrots and, before I can really recall, I was baking brownies, carrot cake and apple crumble - my claim to fame. Over the years my apple crumble has evolved to much more creative versions with added local blueberries, or rhubarb from my father’s garden. I also started experimenting with different ingredients in the crumble, substituting some of the flour with ground almonds or adding desiccated coconut, raw oats and muesli for a healthier version.

I was so excited to see the beautiful brown pears on the shelves this winter- they are more crispy and firm than their green cousins. I slowly simmered them in syrup with a touch of white wine, added frozen raspberries, for a touch of colour and made a crispy crust with almond flour.
Over the years, fruit crumble still remains one of my favourite desserts for a wintery evening, complimented by thick mascarpone cheese or slightly sweetened, soft whipped cream - delicious.

Enjoy this basic fruit crumble recipe and allow your imagination to run away with you!

Ingredients for Basic Fruit Crumble
(6 Servings)

6 cups of green apple/ brown pears/nectarines
¼ cup blueberries/raspberries/ gooseberries /rhubarb (optional)
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 cinnamon stick/ vanilla pod
1 cup plain flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup rolled oats
¾ cup coconut or ground almonds (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup soft butter
Pinch of salt

Method:

· Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
· Cut the fruit into bite sized chunks or wedges.
· If using apples, peel them.
· Place fruit in a saucepan, add ¼ cup water, the castor sugar and the cinnamon stick or vanilla pod and boil on a low heat, without a lid, until the fruit is soft. Remove from the heat.
· Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, coconut, cinnamon and salt until well blended.
· The butter must be soft, but not melted, mix this into the flour mixture with your finger tips until it resembles crumbs.
· Place fruit and some of the sauce from the saucepan in a baking dish and sprinkle the crumble mix over the fruit evenly.
· Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes, or until the crumble layer is slightly brown.
· Serve when warm with double cream, mascarpone or ice-cream.