VegBox Recipes

Beetroot

There's so much more to beetroot than the sliced, pickled variety you can get in supermarkets. Whether you're a lover or a loather of the beetroot-in-jars, it's worth trying fresh beetroot. The flavour is delicate and they're both easy to cook and grow.

In Season?: In season (roughly) from May to October
Buy?: Firm, unblemished roots, unwashed keep longer. Don’t buy the wrinkly ones!
Store?: In a cool place, for a week or two. Under proper conditions, will keep longer. If you’re using the leaves, these will keep in the fridge for a day or two
Freeze?: If cooked, yes.
Cook?: Twist off the leaves, leaving the leaf base intact. Trim the root. Scrub. Roast for an hour or boil / pressure cook for up to 20 minutes.

More Beetroot Information

Beetroot is in season from around May to October in the UK, although many think of it as a winter vegetable, because it's a root crop.

It would seem that eating the traditional purple root is somewhat of a new thing. There are references from the Ancient Greeks about the leaves, but the roots were long, thin and not eaten until the 1500s, at least.

Both the root and the leaves can be eaten, though few of us have probably tried the leaves.

Let’s say loud and clear that there is way more to beetroot than pickling! Early in its season it can be enjoyed raw in salads, and later in the season it’s delicious boiled or even baked.

Baby beetroot are delicious grated raw, in salads (such as with Beetroot and Fennel Salad With Sage Croutons).

Since Roman times, beetroot has been prized to treat disorders of the blood and was used as a laxative and a fever reducer.

From a nutritional perspective, raw beetroot is a brilliant source of vitamin C, though this is water-soluble, so bear that in mind when boiling. It’s also a great source of iron and is currently considered to be one of the multitude of “superfoods” that we should be eating more of. Recent research has linked beetroot juice to a reduction in the risk of heart disease.

But it’ll still stain your fingers and chopping board, no matter how good it is for you!

In fact, beetroot is famous for its staining potential – see the “What to do with … “ section for tips on this.

What To Do With Beetroot

You can eat beetroot leaves, as well as the roots. Use the leaves as soon as possible after picking and simply shred them in a salad or cook like spinach.

For the roots, get these when they’re smaller, if you can, because they’ll be sweeter and less woody.

Always twist off the leaves, leaving a little of the stalks on the root. This means you’re less likely to leak all the beetroot juices during cooking.

I don’t usually bother peeling beetroot. I just scrub them with a vegetable brush and peel them after cooking, if I think my guests will be bothered!

You can either boil them for 15-20 minutes (cut in half if they’re larger than a golf-ball size) or you can roast them.

If you’re going to roast them, do so at 180 C / 350 F / Gas Mark 4 for an hour or so, until they are soft.

Staining
Beetroot stains.
It's a fact.
If you’re cooking it whole, the best way to keep the colour in the beetroot is just to twist off the green tops. Don’t cut the beetroot until you serve it.

I tend to cook them and peel them afterwards, if I peel them at all. And if you’re peeling them – wear gloves if you don’t want purple nails for a week! Don’t make the mistake I have done in the past of eating beetroot whilst wearing a white top. Silly girl!

Little Known Beetroot Facts

Not all beetroot is purple… You can get pink striped or even golden varieties and these are more easily available these days.

Note: beetroot has the strange habit of turning urine pink, so don’t panic if it takes you by surprise…

Beetroot has its own fan club – www.lovebeetroot.co.uk – and it was there that I found out that “Beetroot contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used to treat depression” … so if you needed any more excuse to tuck in…

Pickled Beetroot
Personally, I like shop-bought pickled beetroot. But this recipe for home pickling is much tastier and it's fun to experiment with the ingredients.
Ingredients Up to 2kg fresh beetroot 1 ½ litres vinegar - either malt vinegar or wine vinegar, depending on your preference 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns About 10 whole cloves 1 bay leaf (dried 100g Sugar (optional
Method Chop the stalks off the beetroot, leaving an inch at the end. Scrub the beetroot gently to remove any mud, but taking care not to damage the skin. Wrap them in foil and bake at 180 degrees C for up to 2 hours, until they are tender. While the beetroot is baking, make the vinegar mixture: Put the vinegar, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf in a large pan Bring to the boil for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Leave the flavours to infuse for about 2 hours. Drain before using. Note: if you prefer sweet pickled beetroot, add 250g sugar to the vinegar before heating. Stir well to make sure the sugar has dissolved. If the skins were thick, you can peel the beetroot - it's up to you. Wear gloves, if peeling, or it'll take ages for your finger nails to return to their usual colour! Slice the beetroot into 1/2 cm slices. Put the slices into sterilised jars. Wash the jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well Put upside down in an oven at 100 degrees C for 20 minutes Allow to cool slightly and then fill whilst still warm Use a vinegar-resistant lid (i.e. plastic-coated, so no metal comes into contact with the vinegar, or this would corrode and ruin the pickle) Bring the vinegar mixture to the boil and then fill the jars. Seal the jars with an airtight, vinegar resistant lid. Leave for a few weeks before eating. Gently shake the jars every week or so, to allow the flavours to infuse.
Cupboard-To-Table About 1 hour

Suggested Beetroot Recipes

Baked Beetroot: This recipe is best done with baby beetroots, whilst they're nearer the size of golf balls than tennis balls. They cook more quickly and taste sweeter.
Beetroot & Orange Salad: The combination of beetroot, orange and coriander is fragrant and the flavours really compliment each other.
Beetroot and Celeriac Gratin: This recipe for beetroot and celeriac gratin is on test - but still available for you to try. Why not give it a go?
Beetroot and Fennel Salad With Sage Croutons: This recipe combines raw fennel and beetroot with freshly cooked sage croutons, halloumi cheese and an orange dressing, to make a deliciously crunchy summer salad.
Beetroot And Orange Soup: The fantastic colour of this soup makes a wonderful change from the earthy colours of other winter root vegetables and the greens of winter brassicas.
Beetroot Hummus: Beetroot is one of those vegetables that seems to quickly build into gluts.

There's only so much you can pickle or bake, before you start to get bored.

So here's a quick and nutritious recipe to use up cooked beetroot and add a new twist to a traditional dish.

Hummus is a staple of Middle Eastern cookery. Its blend of chick peas and sesame seeds are a valuable source of calcium, protein, vegetable fats, iron and B vitamins. The addition of beetroot increases the vitamin C content and adds magnesium. All of which combines to make this pretty much a super-food.

The pretty pink colour makes it fun for kids, so you might even be able to persuade little ones to eat this on toast or with fresh veg sticks!

You can either make this from scratch, with dried chick peas and fresh beetroot or you can whiz it up in 5 minutes using pre-cooked beetroot and a can of chick peas / frozen chick peas.
Beetroot Soup (Borscht): This recipe is a great way of using end of season beetroot. It is simple and delicious - just beware its staining potential!
The potatoes are optional and aren't usually included in the traditional Borscht recipe, but they help thicken the soup, which makes it less messy for kids to eat.
Boiled Beetroot: This recipe is best done with baby beetroots, whilst they're nearer the size of golf balls than tennis balls. They cook more quickly and taste sweeter.
Caramelised Beetroot: This recipe is great because it brings out the sweetness of the beetroot and you can leave it to cook in the oven while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Cod with Chicory and Baby Beetroot: This recipe was provided for us by the VegBox Recipes Number 1 Chicory Fan, Denise Tolson. We don't often feature fish recipes, but this one sounds so delicious, and is so easy, that we couldn't overlook it. Thanks Denise!
Jam-Packed Summer Vegetable Risotto: This ruby-red risotto not only looks stunning but tastes amazing AND it can be adapted to use whatever's in your box this week.
Pickled Beetroot: Personally, I like shop-bought pickled beetroot. But this recipe for home pickling is much tastier and it's fun to experiment with the ingredients.
Pink Mash: This recipe for beetroot pink mash is vibrant, packed with nutrients and really tasty. It's a great way to experiment with fresh beetroot. Why not give it a go? Thanks to Natasha Mangion for sending this in!

Natasha says: "My friend Karen & I went through a stage where we were interested in Chakras and colour therapies and we used to experiment with what we called 'Chakra Cooking'. This recipe is both fun and Very colourful and really gets you in touch with your Base Chakra which is Red.

I just like it because it's an interesting way to liven up mashed potato and it really looks striking!! Nice and bright on those dark winter days!

It's also a great way to get kids to eat veg."
Vegetable Tempura: Although it's deep-fried, as long as the oil is hot enough and you drain the tempura after cooking, it's not that bad...! Quick, delicious and a nice change from sticking your veg in a curry!
Watercress, Spinach & Goats' Cheese Salad: I invented this recipe one lunchtime when we were all craving salad - in the depths of winter. Our local farm shop had some fresh watercress and mixed winter leaves and the rest is, as they say, history.

The warm goats' cheese makes this salad a filling winter or springtime treat.

Got one? Send us your recipe!

Back to ingredients index

Back to main recipe index

BBC LONDON Featured on Badge