The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
BAKED BEETROOT SALAD
SERVES 4 PREP TIME 15 MInuTES COOK TIME 35 MInuTES
My sister Lisa has the same love for beetroot as I do and her husband enjoys growing vegetables with their three children. Beetroot is something that does well for them, so they are always looking for new ways to use it in the kitchen. This recipe is typical of their style: simple, fresh and designed to show off the vegetables to their best. Toasting the hazelnuts will give a more intense flavour; leaving them raw gives a fresher taste.
500g (about 6) raw beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
400g fine green beans, trimmed 150g rocket
120g goat’s cheese (ideally cylinder shaped), thinly sliced
50g toasted, skinned hazelnuts, coarsely chopped small handful baby mint leaves sea salt and pepper
★ Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. In a bowl, toss the beetroot in 1 tablespoon each of the oil and vinegar then season with salt and pepper. Spread the beetroot over the bottom of an ovenproof dish or small roasting tin, cover tightly with aluminium foil then roast for 30 minutes, or until almost tender.
★ While the beetroot is cooking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the green beans and cook for no more than a minute or two until only just tender. Drain, then add to the beetroot and continue to roast for another 5 minutes.
★ While the vegetables are roasting, make the dressing by whisking the remaining oil and vinegar together with some seasoning, to taste. Put the rocket in a bowl and coat with a little of the dressing.
★ To assemble the salad, arrange the rocket over a large serving platter then scatter the roasted vegetables, goat’s cheese and hazelnuts on top. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and sprinkle over the mint leaves and a few sea salt flakes.
GROWING cARROTS
A lady who came to one of my vegetable talks first told me about growing carrots in pots.
She did it to outwit the carrot fly which operates at ground level. It works brilliantly. Another great advantage with container growing is that you can tailor the environment to the crop. Carrots like gritty soil, so I add some sharp sand to the mix – about one part sand to ten parts compost. Tall, narrow long-tom pots (specially suited for deep-rooted plants) are ideal and placing them closer to the house will mean that your carrots are less exposed to the elements. You can also protect them more easily on cold nights with a bit of hessian to stop the soil freezing, and they will be easier to harvest.
CANNELLINI BEANS ON TOAST WITH CRISPY KALE SERVES 2 PREP TIME 20 MInuTES COOK TIME 15 MInuTES
I love this dish. It’s hearty but light and the kale adds a real intensity of flavour – as well as a great contrast in texture – that cuts through the sweetness of the beans and tomatoes. It’s a perfect way to refuel after an energetic start to the day and makes a great lunch. The bread is important here; you need a good-quality, substantial loaf so that it can soak up the juices and flavours without disintegrating. In winter, when the kale is still in peak condition, this recipe will work perfectly well with a couple of canned plum tomatoes, too. 4 really fresh eggs
100g curly kale, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil grated zest of 1 lemon
4 good-size tomatoes, or 8-10 cherry tomatoes, cored if necessary and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-2 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped from the stems
400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed bread, for toasting – 1-2 slices each, depending on appetite and the heftiness of your bread
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds salt and pepper
★ less than 5cm of water and crack the eggs into ramekins. Bring the water to a gentle simmer, then carefully slide the eggs into the water and cook for 3 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a plate and set aside. Leave the water over a low heat.
★ Put the kale in a bowl then add 2 tablespoons of the oil, the lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon of salt and massage this into the leaves. Next, spread the leaves out over the bottom of a large roasting pan or baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking, until crisp. Remove and set aside.
★ Meanwhile, warm the remaining oil in a pan. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the garlic and thyme. Cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes have started to break down a little and some of their juices have been driven off – you don’t want the mixture to be too watery. Add the beans to the pan and gently warm through, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
★ Toast your bread. Slide the eggs back into the simmering water and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towels. Place the toast on to warmed plates, spoon over the beans, then sprinkle over the crispy kale. Top with the poached eggs, sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and serve.
WARM sPICeD LeNTILs WITH Leeks AND CAVOLO NeRO SERVES 4 aS a main oR 6-8 aS a SidE diSh PREP TimE 10 minuTES CooK TimE 40 minuTES
This dish really makes the most of the intense, slightly bitter flavour of cavolo nero. It is unusual to see these earthy ingredients combined with exotic spices, but it does work. I like this as a main course but you can also use it as a side to accompany lamb, chicken, sausages or even a substantial fish, such as sea bass. I use Puy lentils for their nutty flavour and firm texture – plus the little gleaming, dark greeny-grey pebbles look beautiful with the cavolo nero leaves. Make this with vegetable stock if you prefer, for a completely vegetarian dish.
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large leek, trimmed and diced 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped, grated or crushed
1 tsp ground turmeric seeds from 1 tsp cardamom pods, lightly crushed 400g dried Puy lentils
1 litre chicken (or vegetable) stock 1 tsp salt
200g bunch cavolo nero, large stems removed, leaves sliced juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp mild wholegrain mustard handful flat-leaf parsley or coriander, finely chopped, plus a few whole leaves to garnish yogurt, to serve
★ Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the leek, celery, garlic, turmeric and cardamom then cook for about 10 minutes until soft.
★ Add the lentils, stock and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
★ Uncover the pan and stir through the cavolo nero. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally – take care to not break up the lentils.
★ Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and stir through the mustard and parsley or coriander.
★ Serve warm, with a good dollop of yogurt and garnish with some extra herbs.