Beetroot

[sashh]

So I have received my first ever oddbox and one of the things in it is beetroot.

I've only ever eaten it pickled or ready cooked in salad.

So please, do you wonderful people have some fabulous ideas / recipes?

www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-roast-beets-2216959
they are nice roasted and warm.
or simply boiled till soft, cooled, and added into a salad.
if you want to get fancy you can make chocolate beet muffins which are moist.
pickling beets is very easy. boil till soft. mix water sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil. pour over your beets (with or without a few cloves) and keep in the back of the fridge a couple weeks.

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/spiced-pickled-beets/
i don't use cinnamon, allspice or salt.
certainly easy, keeps in the fridge for months.

small beets boil up faster and become evenly soft throughout. i don't cut before boiling or roasting to preserve the nutrition (they bleed vitamins if cut up before boiling for sure) not so much when roasting.

My granny, who would now be 120, made the most amazing beetroot jam. Sadly I don't have her recipe, but suspect it may have been a wartime austerity thing, might be worth a google.

Wash them and trim the tops to a cm or so, without damaging the skin if possible. Rub with a little oil, wrap in foil and bake until soft.
While still warm, put your (clean) rubber gloves on and rub the beetroot: the skins will just slip off under your thumbs. (weirdly satisfying).
Then you can use them exactly as you would the precooked supermarket ones.

Beetroot and potato gratin is lovely. Roast the beetroot in the oven first then cool and peel and cut into slices. Cut potato into very thin slices and alternate layers of potato and beetroot with plenty of seasoning and garlic. Cover with cream or stock and bake in the oven until potatoes cooked. It's a Gordon Ramsay recipe.

Wow thank you all.

Roast sounds good. Actually they all sound good.

Roasted, then cut into slices and sautéed with onions, lardons and sour cream and finished off with lots of parsley.

Or Georgian-style beet salad: grated (roasted or raw) and dressed with ground or chopped walnuts, garlic, coriander and fenugreek.

This tart is ready in 30 mins and tastes amazing realfood.tesco.com/recipes/red-onion-beetroot-and-cheese-tart.html

Beetroot chocolate cake is amazing. I'll find a recipe link.

food52.com/blog/4574-nigel-slater-s-extremely-moist-chocolate-beet-cake

Here you go

I'm going to roast them, how long do they normally take?

Roasted (cut into wedges, no need to peel) with rosemary, olive oil and date molasses. Serve with cheats burrata (mozzarella torn up and mixed with creme fraiche, lemon zest and Parmesan) plus rocket and then drizzle the salad with the juices from the roasted beetroot.

I thought I hated beetroot until I had it raw in a salad with feta and orange pieces with a balsamic dressing

Beetroot salad. Grate raw beetroot (best done using a food processor). Make vinaigrette using horseradish instead of or as well as mustard. Chopped parsley. Leave to marinate for anhour before eating.
Cook as others have described above, boil in skins, then rub off, slice, arrange in a dish, pour over cheese sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake until top is golden.
Beetroot is also really good in casseroles - venison or beef, as it has anenzyme that tenderises meat.

Oh it's the perfect thing to have as a Christmas dinner side too.roasted beetroot,sweet potato and red onion...devine.

Well I wrapped the beet in foil, put that in the oven for 20 mins, then added sausages for another 20 mins, then added some carrots tossed in oil with dried thyme and had a very nice dinner.

I'm not sure I'll get another odd box, the idea is great but I could probably get the same cheaper from a supermarket.

If you get them another time, slow cookers are fab for beetroot. Just put it in, a tsp of water and walk away.