Beetroot Recipes

Beetroot evolved from wild seabeet, which is a native of coastlines from India to Britain and is the ancestor of all cultivated forms of beet.
Sea beet was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – although it was only the leaves that were eaten at that time. The root was carrot-shaped and the Romans were, at first, mainly interested in it as a medicine. The first recipes for preparing the roots appeared in the third century AD and were mainly for curative broth used to treat fevers and other ailments.
The rounded root shape that we’re familiar with today wasn’t developed until the sixteenth century and became widely popular in Central and Eastern Europe a couple of hundred years later.
After World War II pickled beetroot in jars was the most widely available form, but the vinegars could be strong and harsh - enough to put many people off beetroot for life! More recently smaller, more tender ‘baby’ summer-grown beetroots have been developed.
The Romans considered beetroot an aphrodisiac (it’s rich in the mineral boron which is important in the production of human sex hormones). The belief persists to this day that if a man and a woman eat from the same beetroot, they will fall in love (with each other, presumably).
Beetroot contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used to treat depression. It also contains trytophan (also found in chocolate) which contributes to a sense of well being.

Recipe

Borscht Soup

This is a quick version of the famous Russian soup. Delicious served with a swirl of sour cream or yoghurt and some snipped chives.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 carrots, finely shredded
half a head of celeriac, finely chopped
4 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 small leek, finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 large potatoes, finely diced
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground white pepper
2 x 250g packs fresh cooked beetroot
Sour cream or Yoghurt to serve

Put all the vegetables, except the beetroot and the stock into a large saucepan and season well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes. Stir in the beetroot and cook for a further 15 minutes. Blend until smooth and serve.

Beetroot and Spinach Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 cooked sliced beetroots
3 handfuls of spinach
Tablespoon of toasted pine nuts

For the Dressing:
Juice and zest of two oranges
50ml olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper.

Make the dressing by mixing together the olive oil, orange zest, juice and black pepper. Lay the beetroot on the spinach and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Article from issue 31 April/May 2010. To order this issue go to the Northern Life online store.