Beetroot with blood orange, almonds and chard
By far the best way to cook beetroot is to wrap them in foil and bake them very slowly in the dying embers of the charcoal. I often put some in at the end of a cooking session and leave them overnight, in the morning you’ll have some super-tender, sweet, delicious beets, or pop them in the coals at the start of cooking and they’ll be ready in a couple of hours. This is the ideal dish to cook in the background while you’re cooking your other stuff.
Serves 4
1kg (2¼lb) small beetroot (beets) – a selection of red, yellow and candy is nice
50ml (3½ Tbsp) Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar or other red wine vinegar
50ml (3½ Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
2 blood oranges or 1 regular orange
1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
100g (3½oz) baby chard, collard greens or other seasonal leafy greens
handful of Marcona almonds or blanched, salted almonds, roughly chopped
olive oil, for cooking
sea salt and black pepper
Wash the beetroot and trim off any leaves. Wrap each beetroot in foil, adding a sprinkle of salt and a splash of vinegar to each parcel before sealing.
Light the barbecue and set for direct/indirect cooking.
Using long-handled tongs, you can either bury your beetroot parcels among the coals when they reach optimum cooking temperature, or at the end of a cooking session when the embers are dying down. Just make sure the parcels are surrounded by coals and nestle them in well, so they cook properly. They will take around 2 hours to cook through; check by inserting the tip of a small knife into the centre – it shouldn’t meet any resistance. Once they’re done, let them cool slightly before unwrapping the foil and peeling off the skin while the beetroot is still warm.
Slice the beetroot and place in a bowl, along with the remaining vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a sharp knife to cut away the skin and pith of the oranges, then slice into rounds and reserve.
Place a frying pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Add a splash of olive oil, followed by the chilli, chard and some salt and pepper. Cook briefly for 2 minutes, just until the chard has wilted, then transfer to the bowl with the beetroot and toss through well.
Divide the beetroot and chard evenly between four plates, then top with orange slices and scatter over the almonds.