Stokes Sauces: Beautifully Beetroot

Bountiful and

Beautifully in Season

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/chutneys-and-relishes

The beetroot is a thing of beauty and so readily available already cooked and shrink wrapped ready to eat.

They can be a bit fiddly to cook from raw so we hope these little tips might help - it's worth the effort.

Beetroot Salad

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Put 3 or 4 beetroots on a large sheet of foil, folding up the sides to form a bowl around the beets. Pour a glass of water into the top and scrunch the foil to seal.

An hour in the oven will let them steam until tender. Let them cool a little, don your finest pair of rubber gloves, then scrub the skin away.

[TIP: Do this on a plate rather than chopping board to avoid staining the surface.]

In a bowl, mix 4 tbsp of olive oil, a dash of white wine vinegar, drop of orange juice, 1 tsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard, 2 tsp of our Cranberry Sauce or Cranberry & Orange Sauce and 1 tsp of caster sugar. Slice the beets into the bowl and coat well with the dressing. Served on a bed of greens with crushed walnuts and a few shavings of Parmesan and you have a wonderful starter.

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/traditional-condiments

Beetroot Hummus

Roast your beetroots as above or use a pack of cooked roots.

Put roughly half and half beetroot and chickpeas (1 x tin rinsed and drained should be enough) in a blender with 1 tsp of ground cumin, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp of Stokes Beetroot Relish and 2 tsp of our Creamed Horseradish Sauce. Blitz and enjoy.

This is so tasty spooned into toasted pitta bread with slices of beetroot and a spoonful of soured cream.

The sweet, earthy beetroot hummus with heat from the horseradish and cooling soured cream with fresh, cooked beetroot slices makes an amazing snack or supper.

Beetroot Tarte Tatin

Using a dozen or so cooked beetroots (ideally evenly sized), put them in an ovenproof frying pan with a good knob of butter, 1 tbsp of thyme leaves 2 or 3 tbsp of Stokes Beetroot Relish and 2 tsp of our Cider & Horseradish Wholegrain Mustard.

Gently warm the roots to let them absorb the aromatics in the pan. Using a 320g sheet of all butter puff pastry, cut a circle about an inch wider than the pan, tucking the overlap down the insides between the roots and the pan.

Now put the pan into an oven, pre-heated to 220°C/gas mark 7 for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry puffs up with a golden hue. Let it cool a touch, hold a plate firmly on top of the pastry and quickly (but carefully) invert the pan over the plate. Garnish with some shredded mint leaves and enjoy.

Beetroot Burger with Avocado & Dill Mayonnaise

We use raw beetroot here - 2 medium roots peeled and grated (rubber gloves again). In a large bowl, combine the patty base: 1 grated courgette, 1 small fennel (cored and grated), 1 grated carrot, your grated beetroot and 1 finely diced red onion.

Tip this mixture of vegetables into a pan of hot olive oil to soften for 10 minutes, turning continuously.

Now add 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves, a pinch of ground cumin and 2 or 3 tbsp of Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup and fry gently for a further 5 minutes.

Blitz 1 x tin of rinsed and drained chickpeas with an egg yolk, 100g of rolled oats and 2 tbsp of our earthy Beetroot Relish in a blender.

Combine the blitzed chickpeas with the vegetables in a large bowl, season and mix thoroughly, then form your burgers and chill them in the fridge for an hour.

Cook the burgers in olive oil for 2 minutes each side, then build them into a burger with Avocado & Dill Mayonnaise. For the mayonnaise, crush and combine 2 ripe avocados, 4 tbsp of Stokes Real Mayonnaise and 1 or 2 tsp of our Mustard & Dill Sauce, adjusting the balance to taste. It really is delicious.

Beetroot Made Better with Stokes