What can I do with beetroot?

[googietheegg]

I've got the vacuum packed beetroot here and I've no idea what to do with it - any ideas please?

Check the label whether it's been treated with vinegar or whether it's just as it comes.

Assuming the latter, beetroot goes beautifully with goats cheese, beans (either French string beans or large broad beans) and walnuts. Either all these things in a warm salad with crusty bread, or in a tart or wellington.

Make borscht?

Make chocolate and beetroot cake (if not in vinegar!). Trust me.

Agree with cake - although the dc couldn't be persuaded once they knew what was in the recipe... (more for me!)
But I also think it goes well with feta - similar salad to the pp

It is lovely with feta too. Added bonus if dcs won't eat the cake. I had no such luck :( they loved it.

You can also pickle it yourself. I love home pickles, but hate the boiling and peeling. That's been done with vac packed.

I had a similar thread the other day, but I'd bought some raw beetroot. Lots of good ideas there for what to do with the beetroot once it's cooked.

For the record, I baked mine in the oven while I had a casserole in there. They take ages in the oven to get properly soft and from memory (it's a long time since I last tried boiling them) that takes ages too, but it's worth it. I had both golden and ordinary beetroot. I like both. The golden beetroot is a little bit sweeter and its juice doesn't make everything else purple. I had them sliced and sprinkled with a little finely chopped spring onion (green and white bits) and a lemony vinaigrette. Very good with feta or smoked mackerel - or, frankly, with anything savoury.

Beetroot and horseradish soup. Boil it in beef (or veg stock) for 15-20m. Remove beetroot and blitz with enough stock to give a good consistency. Swirl in as much horseradish as you like ( I love the stuff) and then enjoy!

If it's not in vinegar then thinly slice potatoes, beetroot (raw is best but cooked will do) and some Polish sausages like kabanos/hunters sausage. Finely chop some smoked bacon or pancetta/Boczek (sp?) and layer it all up like a hotpot, starting with a good splash of oil, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add just a small splash of water to help it steam and cook on a low heat for 1-2 hours until potatoes are cooked through. Mix it all around half way through cooking and the beetroot will colour everything bright pink, so not only does it taste delicious, it looks fab too.

Wow! Great ideas thank you. It's a no vinegar, organic vac pack so I think I'll go for the soup idea -sounds fab!

I had roast beetroot in a pub a while ago with roast beef and it was delicious!

With the vac pack stuff I usually just serve it drizzled with a bit of thick syrupy balsamic vinegar - serve as a side to a shepherd's pie.
Also works well on a salad with Puy lentils, soft goats cheese or feta and rocket.

Dice into small cubes and make a drssing with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sea salt. Keeps for a few days in a container in the fridge and is a great standby to add a spoonful or two to meals to beef up vegetables.

Chop it roughly, mix with vacuum packed chestnuts and some olive roast for 20 mins at 180/200C. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve as a side with roast like lamb or beef. Also great with game a this time of year.

Roast like potatoes but not for as long.

When you make bolognese sauce or any tomato based sauce, add some to the onions/carrots/peppers/garlic/leeks/whatever vegetables you chop finely and saute to make the base of the sauce. Really add some depth, especially a bolognese.

Beetroot makes a lovely chutney. Try this beetroot and orange recipe

Is it raw? I like it grated with a julienne grated in salads, although it's the wrong season for salads for you just now!

julienne grateR, that should be.

it's good in salads with feta, looks really pretty too. A citrusy dressing is nice - eg with grapefruit juice in.

Oh my god make these!!! I found the recipe a few weeks ago and DH and I made them yesterday. We ate all 6 between the two of us. Absolutely delicious.

Beetroot, Goat's Cheese and Cranberry Parcels

INGREDIENTS
400 g beetroot, scrubbed
1 tbsp olive oil
200 g baby leaf spinach, washed
200 g goat’s cheese, crumbled
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
50 g dried cranberries
Flour, for dusting
500 g block fresh puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/ gas 5. Put the beetroot in a roasting tin, drizzle with the oil, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss together. Roast for 45 minutes, turning halfway or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly, then remove the skins.
2. Meanwhile, put the spinach with just the water that clings to its leaves in a large pan and cook over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Tip into a colander and, squeeze out any excess moisture. Cut the beetroot into wedges and mix in a large bowl with the spinach, cheese, onion, chilli and cranberries, and some seasoning. Set aside.
3. On a lightly floured surface, thinly roll out the pastry and cut out 6 x 15cm squares. Divide the filling between the centre of each pastry square. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg and fold the corners over the filling, pressing to seal and form a neat parcel.
4. Place seal-side down on a large baking sheet. Brush with the remaining egg and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed up and crisp.
5. Divide the beetroot and goat’s cheese parcels between serving plates, and serve with roasted new potatoes tossed with butter and chopped fresh coriander.