[noshed]

What's your favourite beetroot recipe? I've grown lots of it - about the size of small pears - and I'm not sure what to do next. I've wrenched off the foliage (somewhat flea-beetle ravaged) do you just boil it and peel it after? I tried roasting it and it was nice but a lot of fuss, although maybe a bit more feasible now than a couple of weeks ago when it was a bit smaller and caused a certain amount of cruel hilarity from my flatmate. (He's shut up now the strawberries are ripe.)

[GrannieAnnie]

OH just likes his beetroot boiled and peeled, then when I get a glut, I pickle them for him, whole if small, sliced if larger

[noshed]

You're right. Keep it simple. They are delicious and, apparently, "super food" so very sought after at work.

[mellowmick]

I'm quite keen to try Katt's beetroot and chocolate cake (see further down the topic list in this section) :!:

[twysted1]

someone should try that but i don't have the bottle.

[mellowmick]

I would be up for it, but none of my beetroot is above an inch yet (first planting produced sweet hee-haw, even though it's meant to be an idiot-proof crop)

[Jake]

I love beetroot and my allotment crop completely failed. I thought it was too late to sow but now I'm going to do it.

I've got about 6 plants in the garden though and they'll make a good borsch. (sp?)

Its best with Chicken stock but any stock will do. Its also better not to pre cook the beets but to peel them raw and put up with the mess. Slice into thin chip sizes. Fry onion and a bit of carrot in a pan, add celery and beetroot (lots of it) pour over chicken stock. Salt and pepper and you'll have an amazing warming stew. It should cook for a long time and that makes it thicker. I've even put grated potatoe in there before and that worked well.

[Oliver]

Beetroot takes ages to cook the 'conventional' way. So she cooks it in the microwave.
For 4 beetroots about egg sized: Wash off the dirt. Trim off the leaves and the root. Put in a microwaveable bowl add about 3 tablespoons of water and cover. Set the microwave to full power for about 8 mins. (Adjust the time if the beets are bigger or smaller, or if you cook more or less in one go)
Take out carefully and remove cover drain, then fill bowl with COLD water. Repeat as the hot beets will warm the water up. Let them stand for a few minutes, then scrape off the skin gently, no need to peel with a cutting motion as the cold water on hot veg makes the skin come of very easily. (If you cook them perfectly you should be able to push the skin off with your fingers).
Slice and eat, or dice them, put in a pretty dish add a dollop of yoghurt. Stir gently and serve with a garnish of Parsley. Yum

[shaz]

me and the kids love it diced with onions and olive oil with fish cakes or any type of fish yummmy

[pixieface]

I usually use meduin sized beetroot, cook them in water for 20 minutes after they come to the boil. Leave them in the saucepan to cool down.

The skins just peel off, slice them up and put them in a kilner jar and then half fill the jar with white vinegar and then fill to cover the beetroot with water, this will keep for ages in the fridge. It will also keep quite well in a dark cupboard, the vinegar acts as a preservative so you can have beetroot at Christmas.

[Oliver]

slice them up and put them in a kilner jar.

Thanks for that. Will have a go.

[Heather_S]

I'm making Katt's beetroot & chocolate cake as we speak. She forgot to say what sort of pan but judging by the amounts, it must make at least a 9x13inch pan's worth... unfortunately it's quite hard to mush up beetroot even if you chop it fine, so I only made half the recipe (1 cup beetroot, etc) and it seems to be baking fine in my kugelhopf pan... I chose that pan because the chocolate & peanut butter frosted cakes I grew up with were always baked in a bundt pan. Also 45minutes is about the normal time it takes for cakes cooked in a bundt pan or kugelhopf pan. So far, I can report the batter is very red... like a Red Velvet Cake but without the unhealthy 1 bottle of red food colouring found in most recipes.

I'll post photos etc when it's all done, with a full report of taste  

[Beanzie]

Not sure of the recipe, but on holiday in Greece they have a dish of hot fresh beetroot served with a garlic creamy sauce. Excellent!!

[GrannieAnnie]

It's only a month ago that I used the last of last year's beetroot which I pickled.  But OH will be disappointed, I only bought one packet this year!

[karen]

There is a Nigella lawson salda recipe which uses up alot of beetroot and tastes great

Slice a large onion into rings and put in bowl of balsmic vinegar to soak.

Peel, boil and slice beetroot (8 - 10 medium size ones) and layer beetroot and onions on a plate.

Grate some orange zest over the top and sprinkle with some mint leaves (chopped or whole whatever you prefer)

Drizzle with some olive oil, and remaining vingar from soaking onions.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This looks really colourful and is a great dish to take to BBQ's.  

It also taste really nice and well.