Recently I’ve discovered the incredible, if weird, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and River Cottage, his farm and the show it inspired. Hugh is obviously passionate about going back to the roots of farming when you basically produced everything you needed – keeping a variety of animals and a veggie garden big enough not only to feed your family, but also to lay aside preserves and sell some for profit.
Hugh is all things fresh, organic and carbon neutral. He’s a big believer in bartering for the things you need and he often gets out there to learn new skills, documenting his successes and failures for the viewing public. He also makes me homesick to be back on the farm churning out my own produce, free from the stream of flavourless crap dished up as “fresh” by most supermarkets. Hugh is the only chef I’ve ever watched on television who has truly inspired me.
Today’s little recipe is inspired by an episode of River Cottage Everyday where the focus was on vegetables. I’m a big fan of fresh beetroot but I can only stand it fresh – so this is the time of year for it and this is definitely the recipe for it. Thanks Hugh!
Ingredients
Rocket
Fresh Beetroot (I used four a bit bigger than tennis balls – smaller is sweeter and more tender)
Fresh cloves of garlic (I used eight)
Extra Virgin olive oil
8 x 3 inch sprigs Rosemary (cut the tips of the plant off because they’ll be softer and more flavoursome)
Balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry wine vinegar)
Brown sugar
Pepitas
Goat’s cheese (I used the South Cape
Method
Cut the leaves off the beetroot, peel and then cut into thick wedges. In a tin (I used 23x23cm for the four beetroot I had and it was a good fit) splash in enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Throw in the beetroot.
Crush the cloves of garlic with the flat of your knife blade, break apart a little with your fingers and spread over the top.
Cut the sprigs of rosemary into 1-inch-long lengths and spread over the top.
Drizzle over everything a bit of olive oil, some vinegar and a fine sprinkling of brown sugar.
Cover the tin with alfoil (shiny side in) and bake at about 200°C for 45 minutes.
Take tin out of the oven, stir everything loosely with a spoon to recoat with oil and put back in the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.
Wash the rocket and shake/spin/pat* dry. Place roasted beetroot on top. Add your goat’s cheese – either cumble it with your fingers or, if using the spreadable variety, rake the tines of your fork lightly over the cheese to break it up. Sprinkle with pepitas, a quick drizzle with some more olive oil and that’s it!
* I bought myself a salad spinner a couple of months ago and don’t know how I survived this long without it. Which makes me a salad snob. If I were you I’d only spin but if you’re not a purist by all means pat it or shake it dry.
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