Homegrown Roasted Beetroot with Runner Beans, Almonds and Chilli

Winter doesn't scare me when it comes to salads, I eat them all year round. This is a very late post as I actually concocted it up in September, before I went to India. There's something very therapeutic and rewarding about picking your own vegetables. Last year, we had masses of runner beans - I think I picked them at least 6 times. 

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

- 4 baby beetroot, chopped into quarters

- 10 runner beans, chopped

- a handful of almonds

- a sprinkle of chilli flakes (I used a grinder and ground a pinch in)

- 1 tbsp good quality olive oil

- juice of 1/4 lemon

1. Start by heating the oven to 200c. Once the oven is hot, put the chopped beetroot quarters into an oven tray and coat with vegetable oil. Cook them for 40-45 minutes, until soft and tender. (N.B. I cooked my beetroot the day before, thus giving me leeway to experiment).

2. Boil some water for the runner beans, and cook them for 3-5 minutes until tender and light green in colour.

3. Add the beans, beetroot, lemon juice, oil and chilli flakes to a bowl, and toss a few times. Finally, sprinkle over the almonds and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve this salad on it's own, with cheese and biscuits, or with a selection of other salads.

Pigeon Breast with Beetroot and Parsley Risotto

This is another of my own recipes, complete fluke, but it definitely paid off. The subtle flavours of the beetroot and parsley compliment the pigeon breast, and the meat juices add someone special to the dish. 

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the risotto -

- a dash of vegetable oil

- one red onion, sliced

- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 200g risotto rice

- 2 tbsp red or white wine

- 2 handfuls of chopped parsley

- 3 beets without skin, roughly chopped, and 200ml beetroot water

- 600ml vegetable stock

- salt and pepper

for the pigeon -

- a little oil

- 4 pigeon breasts

1. If you are using fresh beetroot rather than 'ready made' packeted beetroot, I like to cook them in a pressure cooker because it takes less time (around 25 minutes). Cut off the leaves of the beets and place them in a pressure cooker or pan with a lid on, half cover them with water, and cook for 20-40 minutes. (NB: when they are cooked, hold them under cold water to remove the skins easily...they should just peal away). 

2. You can begin making the risotto when the beets have been cooking for 15 minutes. Place a little vegetable oil in a large pan or wok and add the onion and garlic. Cook these on a medium heat for a few minutes and then add the risotto rice.

3. Stir the rice until coated in the oil and pour in the wine. Gradually add the beetroot water (to give it colour and a little flavour), stirring the risotto frequently. Then do the same with the vegetable stock for roughly 12 minutes. Add the beetroot (if it is ready), parsley, salt and pepper, and cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Whilst the risotto is finishing off, start to fry your pigeon breasts in oil. Cover the pan with a lid, this will help to produced some delicious juices from the meat. The pigeon shouldn't take more than 6 minutes (if you like it slightly pink), by which time the risotto will be done. 

5. Plate the dish up and pour over the lovely pigeon juices.

http://instagram.com/p/b4TB-suki3/

Beetroot and Chocolate Cupcakes

 Ingredients (makes 36 cupcakes)

180g plain flour

75g good quality cocoa powder (I used Green and Blacks)

2 tsp baking powder

240g caster sugar

260g cooked pealed beetroot 

3 large eggs

170ml sunflower or vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

cupcake cases

roughly 3-5 tbsp icing sugar

20g dark or milk chocolate

water

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c and arrange the cupcake cases in cupcake tins or on a baking tray.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl, then add the sugar and set to one side.

3. Purée the beetroot with a blender and then stir in the eggs one at a time. Then pour in the oil and essence. 

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gently add the beetroot mixture whilst stirring.

5. Pour the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes, until the top is firm when pressed with a finger.

6. Cool on a wire rack while you make the icing.

7. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan filled with a little water. Once it has melted, turn off the heat and sift in the icing sugar. Gradually add the water until it becomes a good consistency for icing.

8. I decorated them with an almond flake, but anything goes!