Midweek Meals: Five ways to use beetroot — from soup to ice-cream

Beetroot is in season right now. Here are five ways to showcase this humble, hidden hero ingredient in your kitchen

The beetroot is a humble hero ingredient - try it in everything from starters to dessert!

Beetroot Soup with Chive Cream

recipe by:Darina Allen

A deliciously silky soup with a rich, vibrant colour – it also freezes brilliantly.

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 900g beetroot

• 25g butter

• 225g onions

• salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1.2 litres homemade chicken or vegetable stock approx.

• 125ml creamy milk

• For the chive cream

• 125ml sour cream or crème fraiche

• finely chopped chives

Method

1. Wash the beetroot carefully under a cold tap. Don't scrub, simply rub off the clay with your fingers. You won't want to damage the skin or cut off the top or tails because it will 'bleed' in the cooking. Put the beetroot into cold water, and simmer covered for anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size and age.

2. Meanwhile chop the onions, sweat carefully and gently in the butter until they are cooked. The beetroot is cooked when the skins will rub off easily.

3. Peel all the beetroot and remove the stalks. Chop the beetroot and add to the onions. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Put into a liquidiser with the hot chicken stock. Liquidise until quite smooth. *Reheat, add some creamy milk, taste and adjust the seasoning, it may be necessary to add a little more stock or creamy milk.

4. Serve garnished with little swirls of sour cream and a sprinkling of finely chopped chives.

5. Watchpoint: Careful not to damage the beetroot during preparation or they will bleed

Flatbread with beetroot hummus

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Beetroot adds a delicious earthiness to hummus - a welcome pop of colour on any table.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• For the hummus:

• 400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 250g roasted beetroot, chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• 1 tbsp tahini

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• the zest of a lemon and ½ tbsp of juice

• For the breads:

• 300g plain flour

• 2 generous pinches of sea salt

• 150mls warm water

• 3 tbs olive oil

• ½ tsp nigella seeds

• To serve:

• a drizzle of olive oil

• a small handful of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• edible flowers

Method

1. Vigorously rub the chickpeas in a clean tea towel to remove as many of the skins as possible. You can omit this step if you wish but it does result in a smoother hummus.

2. Place the chickpeas into a liquidiser with the roasted beetroot, garlic, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice. If it is very dry add a little more oil. Taste and season.

3. Mix the flour and the salt in a large bowl and drizzle in the water mixing slowly until combined. Add in the oil in the same way until a dough is beginning to form. Sprinkle in the nigella seeds and knead for about five minutes until it is smooth.

4. Divide the dough into nine balls and leave to stand for about 10 minutes. Roll each ball on a lightly floured surface, moving it around as you do so it does not stick to your work surface. They should be quite thin.

5. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and rub it with a little olive oil. Fry each bread one at a time and sprinkle with a little more sea salt as you remove them from the pan. Serve warm with the hummus.