Roast beetroot, pak choi, labneh & cumin
I love the sweet caramelised flavours of roasted beetroot, sticky in the pan, best eaten with plenty of garlic roasted in its skin.
Ingredients
For the roast beetroot:
- 500g beetroot
- 1 bulb of garlic separated into cloves
- Splash of light olive oil
- A few sprigs of flat parsley
For the salad:
- 500g roasted beetroot
- 2 pak choi or the beet tops if you have them, trimmed and cut in large pieces
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted until golden
- 200g labneh or 200g full fat yoghurt
- Pinch or two of cumin, toasted
- A lemon, zested
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
For the beetroot:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Remove the tops of the beetroot. If the tops are fresh wilt them in a frying pan and serve as greens alongside the roasted beets. Then soak and wash the beetroot.
Cut the beetroot into wedges about 2-3cm on the thick side. Toss the wedges in olive oil salt and pepper, place in a baking tray with space for them to breath, cover with foil and pop in the oven. After half an hour remove the foil to allow them to take on a little colour and add the garlic.
After another 20 minutes or so the beetroot should be soft and slightly caramelised. Roughly chop the leaves and finely chop the stalks of the parsley and mix with the beetroot.
For the salad:
Sear the pak choi in a wok or frying pan for just a minute, then add the garlic a squeeze of lemon and a little seasoning. Remove from the heat.
Season the labneh with a squeeze of lemon, a teaspoon of lemon zest, olive oil, salt, pepper and a little cumin. Adjusting to taste.
Combine the roasted beetroot and pak choi, add the rest of the lemon zest and adjust the seasoning. Spoon onto a serving plate. Place spoonfuls of labneh amongst the beetroot.
To finish sprinkle sesame seeds and cumin over the top.
This dish is delicious as part of a meze or served simply with a green salad.
Storage: The roasted beetroots will keep for 4 days in the fridge. The salad is best served fresh but will keep for 3 days.
