The Great British Vegetable Cookbook by Sybil Kapoor

Author:Sybil Kapoor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Published: 2013-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

BEETROOT

Beetroot is currently enjoying a renaissance. You will find the red-flushed leaves of Bull’s Blood in many a formal flower bed, while no National Trust vegetable garden is complete without its compliment of old beetroot varieties. Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, for example, grows the long-rooted, fine-flavoured Crapaudine, pink-and-white striped Chioggia and the pretty yellow-rooted Burpee’s golden.

Leafy sea beet is indigenous to Britain, but the root appears to have come into cultivation during the sixteenth century, when it was introduced into Britain. Its intense red colour and sweet taste proved popular, and it appears in various recipes through the centuries, from eighteenth-century sweet pancakes to nineteenth-century chilli-spiced pickles. The Victorians even ate cold sliced boiled beetroot with their cheese course. It fell from popularity after the Second World War – too much spam and pickled beetroot.

In recent years the beetroot’s fortunes have revived, perhaps helped by the fashionable belief in the health-giving virtues of brightly coloured vegetables. The desire to incorporate beetroot into all sorts of dishes has led domestic cooks to add it to sweet dishes, such as spiced cakes and chocolate puddings. Chefs, meanwhile, have taken to scattering beetroot across their menus, including exquisite-tasting tiny yellow or white beetroot. These are often added as a last-minute garnish to some elegant fish or meat dish; just as their seventeenth-century predecessors garnished their savoury dishes with Roman red beetroot cut into ‘divers forms and fashions’.

PRACTICALITIES

The younger the beetroot, the sweeter it is. Choose well-shaped, firm roots with fresh green tops. Misshapen roots may have a poor flavour.

Twist off the leaves 2.5cm/1in from the root and store unwashed in the bottom of the fridge.

To bake beetroot the size of a large egg, wrap in a baggy parcel of oiled foil and roast at fan 170°C/gas 4 for about 45 minutes. To boil the same-sized beetroot will take about 30 minutes from when the water starts boiling. Cooking times vary according to the age of the root; to test, rub the skin with your thumb – if it peels easily, the beetroot is cooked.

CULINARY NOTES

Beetroot can be served raw, peeled and either finely sliced or grated and then marinated in an acidic dressing. Test your beetroot before preparing, as some are surprisingly bitter when eaten raw.

Sour ingredients, such as vinegar, citrus juice, pickled gherkins, rye bread, sour cream, yoghurt and soft cheeses, bring out the natural sweetness in beetroot.

Intense flavourings, such as cumin, dill, chives, citrus zest and horseradish, enhance the taste of beetroot, as do smoky and toasty flavours, such as cured fish and game, and toasted nuts.

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