Serves: 4
V, GF (without breadcrumbs)
Ingredients
Roast Beetroots
1 bunch baby red beetroots
1/2 bunch thyme
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Braised Beetroots
1 bunch baby golden beetroots
100mL water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Pickled Beetroots
1/2 bunch baby target beetroots
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/4 tsp sea salt
Walnut Crumb
100g sourdough bread (omit for GF)
100g walnuts
Chèvre Mix
100g good quality Australian goats curd/chèvre
50g natural yoghurt
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
1/2 bunch target beetroots
red vein sorrel leaves (or substitute with parsley leaves)
a few drops extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Instructions
1. To prepare beetroot, remove the leaves from all the beetroots & wash thoroughly, scrubbing gently if they are very dirty using a clean, soft nail brush, or new woven kitchen cloth. Keep the colours separate!
2. To roast baby red beetroot, toss the whole beetroots in a bowl with whole sprigs of thyme, the olive oil, salt & pepper. Place the red beetroots on a sheet of aluminium foil, in a baking tray and place another sheet over the top. Fold the edges of the tin foil together to create a parcel, pierce the parcel with a fork to create some vents for steam. Bake in the oven on 180°C for roughly 45min – 1hour. Pierce with skewer to check if they are done. There should be a little resistance. Take out to cool, and once cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarters (top to bottom) or more, depending on size.
3. To braise the golden beetroot, place the baby golden beetroots, water, vinegar, sprigs of thyme, the bay leaves, salt and pepper, in a small oven proof dish. The liquid should be 1/2 way up the beetroots, if not, add a touch more water. Cover the top of the pan tightly with foil. Bake in oven on 180°C for roughly 1 hour. Take out to cool, and once cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarters (top to bottom) or more, depending on size.
4. To pickle beetroots, lightly boil 1/2 bunch of target beetroots until they are easy to peel. Once cool enough, peel and set aside. In a small saucepan bring the vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt to the boil. Pour over the beetroot and leave to cool.
5. To make the walnut crumb, remove crusts from sourdough and slice thinly. Toast the walnuts and sourdough on separate trays in a low oven at 150°C until both are golden brown. Be sure to cook the sourdough until all moisture is removed and it is nice and dry. Once cooled gently blitz together in a blender or food processor until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Use the ‘pulse’ feature on a food processor to ensure the walnut and bread mix does not turn into a paste.
6. To make the Chèvre Mix, mix the chèvre (or goats curd), yoghurt & olive oil in a small mixing bowl until a smooth paste. Season to taste.
7. To serve, use the back of a dessert spoon to spread the goats curd mixture generously around the centre of a plate or serving dish, in a rough circle about 10-12cm in diameter. Arrange the cut roast and braised beetroot pieces onto the curd, so that they are alternating around the plate. Spoon the walnut crumb over the top. Thinly slice the pickled & raw beetroots with a mandolin or sharp knife and scatter on top, then garnish with red vein sorrel or parley. Carefully scatter a few drops of olive oil over the dish, then finish with a few sea salt flakes.
