Tags
I’m always going on at the kids on the importance of trying new things.
Then it suddenly occurred to me the other day that:
1) I was terrible at trying things as a kid, and thus a hypocrite.
2) I still rarely try new things even these days. So, er, a hypocrite on two counts then.
Ahem.
I’m going to try to amend this. So today, is a recipe that focuses on a bitter old rival of mine. The beetroot.
I’ve barely ever eaten beetroot in my life, not since I was a little girl. Mainly because I tried it a few times, loathed it, then turned my back on it forever. Or at least, until today. But now, in the spirit of gung-ho ‘let’s embrace new things’ type things, I’m going to give it a go. It’s not even a side dish. It’s the star of the show.
So, lets see how we get on, eh! I’m adapting this recipe from one I found a while back in ‘Delicious’ magazine.
Beetroot, cranberry and spinach pastries.
You will need:
1) 4 beetroots (or as many as there are people I suppose!)
2) 1 tbsp olive oil.
3) 200g goats cheese, crumbled up.
4) 500g puff pastry (I use ready rolled sheets, for ease!)
5) 100g baby spinach leaves.
6) 1 small red onion, chopped.
7) 50g cranberries.
8) 1 egg, beaten
9) flour for dusting.
How to make it
1) Preheat the oven to 190c. Pop the beetroot in an ovenproof dish, drizzle over with oil, season and roast for 45 mins, or until tender. Turn halfway.
2) Meanwhile, was the baby spinach leaves and tear them roughly into a bowl. Add the cranberries, chopped onion and cheese and set aside.
3) Beat the egg in a bowl if you haven’t already, and towards the end of the cooking time of the beetroot, start rolling out your pastry (or in my case, just getting it out of the packet!) and cutting into 15cm squares. Also, line a baking tray with paper. And then realise, like me, you’ve not got enough pastry. Bother.
4) Take the beetroot out of the oven, skin them and slice into small wedges. Pop it into the bowl with the spinach.
5) Spoon the filling on to the pastry squares. Brush the edges with the egg, and fold over to form a parcel.
6) Brush with the remaining egg and pop back in the oven for 15 minutes or so (or until puffed up and golden!)
7) Then simply serve, eat and hopefully enjoy!
Total Cost: The pastry is the most expensive element of this dish; in total it was about £4.00, so £1.00 per parcel. Quite pricey…but will it be worth it?!?
The Verdict? Ok, ok…I’ll admit it…I liked it! The parcels had a very pleasant sweet flavour, and all the ingredients worked really nicely with each other, the slight tartness of the beetroot, the sweetness of the cranberries, and yes, even the beetroot! It was a good one for the boys too, they both ate quite a bit.