Snow capped beetroot

Topping: 2tsp gelatine ½ C hot water ¾ C mayonnaise 125g Cream Cheese Dissolve gelatine in hot water. Gradually add mayonnaise to softened cream cheese mixing until well blended and smooth. Stir dissolved gelatine into the mixture. Pour into deep mould or basin. Chill until just set. Base: 300 g sliced or diced beetroot peeled and cooked 4 spring onions chopped 2tsp lemon juice 2tsp white vinegar 1 pkt raspberry jelly Drain beetroot keeping liquid. Arrange beetroot in mould over the cream cheese layer and scatter over shallots. Add lemon juice and vinegar to beetroot juice and make up to 500mls with water. Bring to boil. Add jelly crystals.  Stir to dissolve .Leave until partially set and cool then pour into mould and set. To serve, invert onto serving plate.

Beetroot Salad With bacon & sour cream

Serves 4-6

Roasting beetroot for this satisfying salad may take a while but the oven does all the work.

It can serve as a first or main course, or is also good as a side dish with steak or chicken

300grams soweet beetroot, peeled and cut into thin wedges

6 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 handfuls rocket leaves

4 rashers rindless bacon diced 4cm

200g sour cream

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 200 degC. Put the beetroot into an ovenproof dish, add 4 tablespoons of the oil then season with salt and pepper.

Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven. Add the vinegar and mix well.

Place the rocket on a serving platter. Fry the bacon in the remaining oil until just crisp.

Scatter the beetroot over the rocket, reserving the oil and vinegar mix from the beetroot dish.

Put small blobs of sour cream over everything and sprinkle the bacon and toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

Drizzle the oil and vinegar mixture over everything.

A simple vegetable, a very different receipe, and an amazing dish created by Mark Elder, chef of Eat on Windsor in Invercargill

In a pan on low heat add the bruised leaves of 5cm of rosemary stem to 2 teaspoon scoops of butter and gently fry until slightly crisp. Don’t burn the butter !

Add 3 tablespoons of runny honey, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, the juice of half a lemon(it stops the sugar in the honey from burning), 800g cooked beetroot sliced in fat rounds, and heat through.

Cut a round of puff pastry to fit the pan or an oven dish, roughly coat with Dijon mustard, place on top of the beetroot, pushing the edges down firmly inside the dish.

Brush the pastry with melted butter and cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 220 deg until cooked.

Place a plate over the dish, flip upside down and lift off over dish. Dress with salad leaves, crumbed feta cheese, a sprinkle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, and you have a beetroot tart tatin.

3 large beetroot 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon hot English mustard 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 teaspoon honey Large pinch of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup canola oil 75g walnut pieces Handful fresh Italian parsley roughly chopped 1 each; large gold and red orange kumara, pealed.

* Cover the beetroot in water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes until the beets are soft right through when pieced with a knife. *Coolthe beets under running cold water. Peal off the skins while the beets are under the running water. Set aside. *Place the vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Keep whisking while the oil is very slowly drizzled into the boel. *Grate the beetroot and add it to the dressing with the walnuts and parsley. Stir to combine. *Grate the kumara over the beetroot mixture. Partially mix in the kumara so that it takes on a ”marbled” look. Spoon the salad into a bowl and serve immediately. Serves 6. Tip. New season red kumara is extra sweet and yummy served grated in salads.

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1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 1/4 teaspoons cornflour 2 tablespoons reserved beetroot juice 400 grams  beetroot 1 tablespoon orange peel Heat sugar, vinegar and orange juice in a micowave safe jug. Shake together cornflour and beetroot juice. Add to heated mixture and cook in micowave until thickened approx. 30 seconds. Place beetroot in serving dish and warm slightly. Pour over hot sauce. Garnish with orange peel.

1kg medium sized beetroot 1/2 cup each: Brown sugar, white sugar 4 cups white vinegar 1 teaspoon each: Whole clove, peppercorns, whole dried chillies, mustard seeds 1 thumb ginger, bruised (do not peal but hit with the back of a knife to release the flavour.) 1/2 cinnamon stick *Wash and trim the ends from the beetroot. Place them in a large pot of cold water and bring to the boil, cooking until they are tender (about 50-60 minutes *Leave the beetroot to cool in the cooking water. *Remove the beetroot from the water and reserve three quarters of a cup of the liquid. *Peel the beets cut them into slices or wedges and pack them into hot, sterlised jars. *In a large saucepan, place the reserved cooking liquid, sugars, vinegar, spices, ginger and cinnamon stick. *Cook over a gentle heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. *Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and pour the syrup over the beetroot in the jars. You may not need all the liquid. *Seal the jars and leave the beetroot to sit for a week before using, to allow the flavor to develop. Pickled beetroot will keep for 6-8 months stored in a cool, dark place. Once opened, store in the refrigerator. Makes approx. 4 cups. Gluten free.

3 carrots 3 parsnips 3 orange kumara 3 beetroot 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons Lee Kum Kee Lemongrass Marinade 1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons fennel seeds *Perheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper. *Peel the carrots, pasnips and kumara and slice on an angle to make thick ovals. Cut the beetroot in half lenthways then slice into wedges. Place vegetables on the baking tray. *Heat the olive oil, lemongrass marinade and honey in a small pot, stirring until combined. Pour over the vegetables, add the fennel seeds and toss together. *Roast for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and starting to caramelise. Serve as a main course. Serves 4 Tip Roast the beetroots seperately if you wish to avoid discolouring the other vegetables.

300g sebago (starchy) potatoes, peeled 1 egg 40g butter, melted sea salt and cracked black pepper 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream 1 tablespoon houseradish cream 100 grams baby beetroot, drained and sliced 1/2 cup parsley leaves, to serve Perheat oven to 200C (390F). Finely shred the potato. place in a large bowl with the egg, butter salt and pepper and mix well to combine. Drain off any excess liquid. Press tablespoonfuls of the mixure into the base of 12 lightly greased 1/2 cup-capacity (125ml) muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack. Place the sour cream and horseradish in a bowl and mix until well combined. Spoon onto the potato pancakes and top with beetroot and parsleyl to serve. Makes 12.

500g baby beetroots, washed and trimmed 700g crown pumpkin, seeds removed, pealed and cut into wedges 3 tablespoons olive oil Sea salt 100g baby spinach leaves Dressing 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon each: Freshly squeezed orange, balsamic vinegar, wholegrain mustard, liquid honey. *Preheat the oven to 190C. Wrap 3-4 of the beetroot together in a tinfoil parcel and repeat until al the beetroot are parcelled. Place the parcels to one side in a baking dish. *Place the pumpkin, garlic, red  onion and olive oil in a plastic bag. Season with sea salt and shake the bag to coat the veges in oil. Remove the veges from the bag and place them in a single layer in the baking dish. *Bake the vegetables for about 40 minutes (turning them once or twice) until the beetroot is cooked. *Allow the vegetables to cool. Remove the skin from the beetroot and cut any larger beets in half. *Place the spinach leaves onto a platter and decoratively top with the roasted vegetables. *Combine the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Serves 4. Diabetes friendly.

Beetroot & Kumara Soup

1kg medium-sized beetroot 2 tablespoons each: butter, oil 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 medium-sized kumaras peeled and thinly sliced 1 thumb ginger, grated 1/2 teaspoon each: ground cumin, corlander 2 tablespoons tomato paste 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock salt and freshly ground black pepper. *Wash and trim the beetroot. Place them in a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 45 minutes, or until tender but still firm. *Remove the beetroot from the cooking liquid and reserve 2 cups of the liquid for later use. Allow the beetroot to cool a little before removing the skins and cutting into thin slices. *Melt the butter with the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan add the onion, garlic, kumara and ginger. Cook, stirring for about 5 minuites. *Add the beetroot slices, spices and tomato paste, and continue to stir for a futher minute. *Add the stock and the 2 cups of reserved beetroot juice. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender. *Allow the soup to cool slightly and puree using a blender. Reheat, adjust the seasoning if necessary and serve. Serves 6. Diabetes friendly. Tip This soup is delicious served with melted soft white cheese on toast.