BEETROOT CARPACCIO

If you can’t get hold of raspberry vinegar, just add four or five raspberries to 50ml of red wine vinegar and leave to macerate in a cup for a few hours before you need it.

Serves four as a starter or light lunch

INGREDIENTS

4 beetroot, each larger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball, as fresh and hard as possible 50ml raspberry vinegar 50ml extra virgin olive oil To decorate Flowers from the garden such as chive or basil flower and thyme flower Vegetables such as tiny raw peas (teardrop peas) or small peeled broad beans Herbs such as chive, thyme, verbena, purple basil

METHOD

Place the beetroot, unpeeled, in a saucepan, cover them with salted water and simmer for about 40 to 50 minutes. If you need to, place a sauce on top of them to keep them under the water. To test they are done, a small sharp knife should easily penetrate the roots. If they are not ready, keep testing every five minutes until they are done.

Drain the beetroot and cover again with cold water. The beetroot will be cool enough to handle after a few minutes in the cold water. To prepare the carpaccio, I cover my chopping board with greaseproof paper and wear disposable gloves, as the beetroot colour gets everywhere.

Drain the beetroot and rub off the skins – they

should come off very easily. Take a mandolin and use the finest setting to slice each beetroot into thin rounds, or do this carefully with a sharp knife. After slicing each root, spread the slices on four plates. I like to make concentric circles until the whole plate is covered. When you have four plates of sliced beetroot ready, it is time to dress them. I drizzle them evenly with the raspberry vinegar and then the olive oil. Season each plate with sea salt.

The plate is now your canvas to decorate, with any flowers, small vegetables and herbs you have to hand. I use teardrop peas (very small peas), which come from my garden and can be eaten raw. You could also use peeled broad beans. Serve the carpaccio as a light lunch with some warm crusty bread and a glass of chilled beaujolais.