LEFTOVER ROOTS
I don’t think I can remember a day when I haven’t cooked with one root vegetable or another, whether chopped up and tossed in with the onions at the beginning of a soup or stew, grated into a salad or roasted with bay and thyme and a slick of oil.
Inexpensive, good for you, always in season in one form or another, and so forgiving to cook, I am pretty much in thrall to this multifaceted gang of veg. Carrots, celeriac, beetroot, spuds (strictly tubers, but at home here) and parsnips – not to mention the odd turnip, Jerusalem artichoke and swede – often form the earthy heart of the things I like to eat. So, for me, a kitchen that harbours no root veg at all is a fairly unthinkable state of affairs.
The pleasure of creating a panful of creamy, buttery mashed potato, or filling a roasting tin with gloriously coloured roots and green herbs, is often increased by the knowledge that I have (accidentally on purpose) over-catered. There are so many things that can be done with leftover root veg that I think I’d be mad not to.
Mash has myriad uses: in potato cakes, for instance, or as the topping for various pies, shepherd’s and otherwise. And it’s to roast roots that I turn most often when I really want to add both flavour and heft to my leftovers dishes.
The charred edges of oven-cooked veg have such a sweet-savoury intensity that they can give an amazing jump-start to even the simplest of recipes, such as the roast root hummus or the roast carrot pâté, and can hold their own in quick assemblies like the curried coconutty roots.
I’ve even harnessed the natural sugars in some roots (notably carrots, beetroot and parsnips), so deliciously emphasised once they’re roasted, to create a couple of sweet treats: beetroot and caraway seed cake and carrot and ginger steamed pudding.
It’s roots that have inspired some of the most engagingly thrifty recipes in this book too, tempting me to experiment and explore when previously I might have headed for the compost bin. Root vegetable peelings, it turns out, can be spun into surprisingly sophisticated soups or the sort of crisps that vie with the poshest of bar snacks.
And forgotten oddments of not-yet-cooked veg that are no longer in the first flush of youth can be treated with a quick pickling that transforms them into something very toothsome indeed.
So keep these earthy, subterranean stars on your radar, and you’ll never find yourself rooting about for inspiration.
Roast carrot pâté
This is a very good, simple starter, snack or lunchbox treat that you can vary according to your own tastes and whims. If you are not keen on the taste of caraway, use cumin or coriander seeds instead. Toasting and grinding your own spice gives maximum depth of flavour, but it’s fine to use ready-ground spices too.
SERVES 2–4 AS A STARTER OR SNACK
¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
About 150g cream cheese
50–200g roast carrots
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon, plus a squeeze of juice
1–2 teaspoons finely chopped dill fronds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the caraway seeds in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and lightly toast until fragrant, about 20–30 seconds. Using a pestle and mortar, bash the seeds to a coarse powder.
Put the cream cheese, roast carrots, ground caraway and the lemon zest and juice into a food processor and pulse until just combined – the pâté should still have some texture to it. Alternatively, you can do this in a bowl with a potato masher.
Fold in the chopped dill and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with crusty bread, toasted sourdough or crudités.
Tips and swaps
Scandinavian twist (as shown) For a great open sandwich, spread on toasted sourdough, top with flaked cooked mackerel and finish with a grinding of pepper and some extra dill.
Fiery version Add some finely chopped green chilli or a sprinkling of dried chilli flakes or hot curry powder and/or trickle over some chilli oil just before serving.
Roast parsnip pâté Simply replace the carrots with parsnips. Or you can use a combination of root veg.
Roast root hummus
This is a great snack or starter, served with crudités or warm flatbreads, or spooned into toasted pittas with salad and/or some shredded cold meat. Use whatever leftover roast roots are to hand, and if you have some roast onions or garlic, chuck those in too.
SERVES 2–4
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
100–300g roast roots, such as carrots, parsnips, celeriac and perhaps some roast onion
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons tahini or thick natural wholemilk yoghurt
2 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil, plus extra to finish
¼–½ garlic clove, crushed or grated
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, bashed, or a good pinch of ground cumin, plus extra to finish (optional)
Good pinch of dried chilli flakes, plus extra to finish (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a food processor, whiz the chickpeas, roots, lemon juice, tahini or yoghurt, oil, garlic, cumin and chilli flakes together until fairly smooth. If it’s too thick, thin with some hot water until you get the consistency you like.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon the hummus into a bowl or onto a plate, sprinkle with a good pinch of crushed cumin seeds and chilli flakes, if you like, and trickle on some olive or rapeseed oil.
Sealed in a container, this hummus keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.
Tips and swaps
You can use leftover home-cooked chickpeas here if you like: 250g cooked peas is roughly equivalent to what you get in a 400g tin.
If you don’t have any chickpeas, cannellini or butter beans work well too.
Potato peel soup
I understand that this might be a tough sell. But bear with me because it’s miraculous. There’s nothing humble about this soup’s rich, creamy flavour – it tastes, remarkably, like mushrooms. And if it seems just a little too pared-back, it’s very easy to jazz it up with some nice finishing touches (see below). Make sure the potatoes are well scrubbed before you peel them so the peels are very clean.
SERVES 4
20g butter, or rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 large or 2 medium onions, diced
1 bay leaf
About 200g potato peelings (about as much as you’d get from preparing a decent-sized tray of roast potatoes)
500ml whole milk
500ml chicken or veg stock (see Stocks)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To finish (optional)
Fried sage leaves
Crisp-grilled bacon
Heat the butter or oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat and add the onions, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt. Sauté gently, until the onions are soft but haven’t taken on much colour, about 10 minutes.
Add the potato peelings and give everything a very good stir for a minute.
Pour in the milk and stock, season well with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the peels are very tender – another 10 minutes or so.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly, then purée in a food processer, blender or using a stick blender until very smooth.
Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Season well with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped parsley, if using.
Serve in warmed bowls, topped with fried sage leaves and shards of crisp-grilled bacon, if you like. Finish with a generous grinding of pepper.
Tips and swaps
Top with an egg Float a poached egg on each portion and sprinkle the crispy bacon on top of it, if you like.
Chowder-y option Add a handful of cooked sweetcorn and some leftover smoked fish or cooked ham or bacon.
Parsnip or carroty version You can use other root peelings as well as potatoes – especially parsnips and carrots. But keep it 50 per cent spud or it can become too sweet. A good pinch of cumin goes well with a multi-root version.
Roast dinner soup
This is a favourite Monday evening supper in our house: substantial, flavoursome and a good way to use up all that remains of a roast lunch. It’s a free-form feast so I haven’t given even approximate quantities. Just use what you have, lightening it with a bit more stock or water if it becomes too thick.
Roast potatoes and other roots, roughly chopped
Roast meat, such as pork, beef, lamb or chicken, shredded or chopped
400g tin chickpeas or any white beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
Some well-flavoured chicken or veg stock (see Stocks) or mushroom broth (see Broths)
Any greens, shredded
Some chopped herbs, such as parsley, thyme or rosemary (optional)
Pinch or two of curry powder or smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the root vegetables into a pan, along with any meat and pulses you’re using. Pour on enough stock to cover well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or so, to allow the flavours to blend.
Add any leftover greens and simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through.
Sprinkle in any herbs you’re using and season very well with salt and pepper. If it is still coming up a little under-seasoned, add a pinch or two of curry powder or smoked paprika.
Serve in warmed bowls with crusty bread.
Tips and swaps
Finishing touches Add a trickle of well-flavoured oil, a dollop of crème fraîche or a scattering of grated cheese. (Also great with the following variations.)
Puréed version Hold back the meat. Let the simmered soup cool slightly, then blitz in a blender until smooth and thick. Fry any meat you wish to add until crisp and scatter over the soup as a garnish.
Roast dinner ‘minestrone’ Add a 400g tin plum tomatoes in juice, roughly chopped, or about the same amount of passata. If you have some cooked pasta, add it at the end.
Vegetable peel crisps
Step away from the compost bin! Those carrot, potato, parsnip and beetroot peels can be given another life as rather posh-tasting crisps. Just make sure they’re really clean: the easiest way to do this is to give the veg a very conscientious scrub and a thorough rinse before you peel it, to remove any residual earth. These crisps make a great snack, and you can also sprinkle them on top of soups and salads as a tasty garnish.
Good handful or two of clean, dry vegetable peelings (carrot, potato, parsnip, beetroot)
Olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil, for frying
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sweet or smoked paprika, to finish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Place a large baking tray in the oven to heat up (or two if you’re making lots of crisps).
Put a tablespoon or two of oil in a bowl and use your hands to toss the peels in the oil – you want them to be lightly and evenly coated all over. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and toss again.
Take the hot tray(s) from the oven and carefully scatter over the peels, in an even layer. Quickly return to the oven and bake for 12–14 minutes, turning halfway through, until the peels are crisp and golden; don’t let them burn or they will be bitter.
Toss the crisps in a little paprika, if using, and eat warm or cold.
Potato cakes
These crisp and fluffy beauties are terrific for a cooked breakfast or brunch, either served plain (but well seasoned) or with a traditional selection of fried, poached or scrambled eggs, bacon, black pudding, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes etc. Alternatively, you can use them as a vehicle for even more leftovers, stirring veg, herbs, cheese and/or extra seasonings into the basic mixture.
SERVES ABOUT 4
300–500g mashed potato or well-crushed roast potatoes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1–2 tablespoons plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1–2 tablespoons whole milk
Rapeseed or sunflower oil, for frying
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl, mix together the potato, egg, flour and milk – the amount of flour and milk you should add will depend on the amount of mash. It needs to be a fairly thick dough, so you may not need any milk at all, especially if the mash is quite soft to start with.
Season the mixture well with salt and pepper and stir in any extra ingredients that you would like to add (see tips and swaps, below).
Using lightly floured hands, form the mixture into potato cakes, about 2cm thick and 7cm in diameter.
You’ll need to cook the potato cakes in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Heat a thin film of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add 3 or 4 cakes and fry for 3–5 minutes each side, until crisp and golden brown.
Drain the potato cakes on kitchen paper and keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the rest.
Delicious with bacon and indeed any – or all – of your favourite breakfast components.
Tips and swaps
Add any of the following to the potato mix for extra flavour:
Herbs, such as chopped parsley, chives, soft thyme, lovage or chervil.
Sliced spring onions, finely diced shallots, or sautéed chopped onions and/or leeks.
A little finely chopped garlic.
Good pinch of English mustard powder.
Handful of grated cheese.
Some crumbled leftover cooked bacon, or even sausage, haggis or black pudding. Or try a few bits of shredded ham.
Cheesy potato gnocchi
These little dumplings, adapted from a recipe created by River Cottage Head Chef Gill Meller, are a firm favourite. They are so easy to put together with leftover mash or the inside of a baked potato.
SERVES 2–4
300–500g mashed potato
80–100g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
150–250g plain flour (half the weight of the potatoes), sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, chives or sage (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Butter
Generous chunk of hard goat’s or sheep’s cheese, or Parmesan, grated
Flaky sea salt
Tip the mash into a bowl and mix in the soft cheese, flour, egg and herbs, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper. You want a firm dough – add a bit more flour if necessary, but add it gradually so you don’t overdo it.
Knead the dough gently for a minute – try not to overwork it or the gnocchi will become tough and gluey.
Next, roll the potato mixture into skinny sausages, about 1.5cm in diameter, and cut each into 3cm lengths. At this point, if you like, you can gently roll the gnocchi over the back of a fork to make grooves. This will help them hold on to any sauce you might want to add.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a gentle simmer. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for a minute or two, just until they rise to the surface.
Scoop the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon as they come to the surface and transfer them to a warmed, lightly buttered dish.
Toss the gnocchi with butter, grated cheese, some flaky sea salt and a grinding of pepper. Serve at once.
Tips and swaps
Other serving suggestions Instead of melted butter and hard cheese, try the following:
Crumbled gorgonzola or other soft blue cheese and finish with chopped, toasted walnuts.
Pesto and grated Parmesan or other hard cheese.
A simple tomato sauce with basil, finishing with grated cheese.
Browned butter, sage and grated Parmesan or other cheese.
Crème fraîche, chopped dill and a squeeze of lemon.
Other rooty gnocchi Use equal quantities of mashed potato and mashed carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips or pumpkin – in all cases, either roast, plain steamed, or boiled.
Lentil and leftover veg curry
This makes a very satisfying midweek dinner and you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. It works particularly well with leftover roast parsnips from a Sunday lunch but roast spuds, carrots and onions can also be added at the beginning, along with any greens, peas, cauliflower, etc. at the end.
SERVES 4
1 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons home-made curry paste, or a favourite ready-made curry paste
100g red lentils, well rinsed
200–300g roast parsnips (and/or spuds and carrots), cut into chunks
700ml chicken or veg stock (see Stocks)
Any greens, peas, cauliflower florets, etc.
Small handful of coriander, stalks removed, coarsely chopped, plus extra to serve
60g cashew nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Raita (see Spicy lamb and chickpeas), to serve (optional)
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and curry paste and stir for a minute or two. Toss in the lentils and roast parsnips and/or other roast roots and stir for a minute.
Now add the stock, bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are starting to break down, about 15 minutes.
Add any greens, peas, cauliflower or other veg and bring back to a gentle simmer. Cook for another 2–3 minutes until everything is heated through thoroughly. Stir in the coriander.
Serve with the cashews and extra coriander scattered over the top, and a bowl of raita on the side, if you like. Accompany with rice and/or naan.
Tips and swaps
Up the green veg You can add fresh or frozen peas or greens such as spinach, as well as or instead of leftovers. Make sure peas have a least 5 minutes’ simmering in the curry to cook right through. Greens only need to be wilted.
Eggy version Eggs, hard-boiled and peeled, can be added for the last 5 minutes of cooking, either whole or cut in half.
Turn into soup or dhal If you’ve any leftovers of your leftovers curry, give it a quick whiz in a food processor, with an extra dash of water or stock, to make a delicious dhal/soup.
Curried coconutty roots
Warming, satisfying and quick, you can make this curry good and hot by adding more chillies, or keep it comfortingly creamy with just a little kick, as it is here. It’s a pretty saucy dish, bordering on a soup, and you could certainly eat it as such – in a bowl, with a spoon, rather than over rice.
SERVES 4
2 tablespoons rapeseed or sunflower oil
2 onions, diced
2 tablespoons home-made Thai-style curry paste, or a favourite ready-made Thai curry paste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
About 500g roast roots, such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes and/or celeriac, cut into large chunks
400ml coconut milk
200ml veg or chicken stock (see Stocks)
Small handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
Few mint leaves, shredded
Juice of 1 lime
About 20g shaved coconut
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté until they just begin to take on some colour, about 10 minutes.
Add the curry paste, garlic and chilli and fry, stirring, for a further minute. Tip in the roast roots and stir until well coated with the spices.
Stir in the coconut milk and stock and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are heated through and the flavours are well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, stir through the herbs, lime juice and coconut.
Serve scattered with extra coriander, with a bowl of jasmine or basmati rice on the side.
Tips and swaps
If you have any coriander roots, chop these finely and add them with the garlic and chilli.
Paneer curry Stir in cubes of mild Indian paneer cheese (see Paneer for my home-made version), with the coconut milk, to add some creamy protein to the dish.
Root gratin with blue cheese and nuts
This is a flavoursome way to turn a few humble roasted roots into something more substantial. I suggest carrots here as they’re so good with the nuts and cheese, but the dish also works brilliantly with cauliflower florets (see tips and swaps, below).
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH
Knob of butter, to grease the dish
About 300g roast carrots, or other roast veg, cut into thick slices
About 150ml veg stock (see Stocks)
2–3 tablespoons crème fraîche or double cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
Handful of walnuts or hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
About 30g breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon lemon thyme leaves, finely chopped (optional)
50g blue cheese, such as Stilton, Roquefort or Blue Vinney, or Cheddar if you prefer
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
Lightly grease a small gratin dish with butter. Lay the carrots (and/or other veg) in the dish in a single layer – they should fit snugly.
Heat the stock to just below boiling. Whisk in the crème fraîche or cream and then pour over the veg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover tightly with foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the veg over in the creamy sauce and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
Meanwhile, for the topping, mix together the walnuts, breadcrumbs, thyme and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl.
Remove the creamy veg from the oven, sprinkle on the walnut mixture and crumble the cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake until bubbling and golden, about 10 minutes.
Tips and swaps
Saucier coating Use a béchamel sauce, based on milk or the stock and cream mix above (prepare as for the cheese sauce, omitting the cheese), to coat the veg under the topping.
Cauliflower gratin This is particularly good. Leftover or blanched cauliflower florets can be added to a tray of roasting root veg, well seasoned, for the last 10 minutes of the roasting time (or roasted on their own).
Veg and chickpea gratin Toss a 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, with the veg before you pour over the stock and cream mix or béchamel sauce for a more substantial dish.
Quick pickled roots
A light salting can refresh those slightly tired, yet-to-be-used roots found lurking at the bottom of the fridge. Finely slivered and lightly pickled, they make a great accompaniment to cold meats, salads and cheeses, especially in thickly filled baguettes, and they’re also delicious with barbecued meat or oily fish. You may need more or less pickling liquid depending on the amount of vegetables you’re using – just make sure you keep the proportions the same.
MAKES 300–400g
For the pickling mixture
500ml rice vinegar
80g caster sugar
2 tablespoons flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds (optional)
¼ teaspoon celery seeds (optional)
Pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
For the vegetables
300–400g slightly soft, raw root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, radishes and beetroot
½–1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Put all the ingredients for the pickling mixture into a stainless steel or cast-iron saucepan with 250ml water and place over a low heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then chill.
Peel the vegetables, apart from radishes, if you’re using them. Pare the veg very thinly with a mandoline or sharp vegetable peeler, or cut them into very fine julienne.
Place the veg in a colander in the sink or over a bowl. If using beetroot, place it in a separate colander, to stop it colouring the other veg. Sprinkle the veg with the sea salt, toss to mix then leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Rinse the vegetables under a running cold tap, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.
Place the veg in a jar or plastic tub, pour over the pickling mixture and leave for at least a couple of hours before serving.
These pickled veg will keep sealed in the fridge for a week or so.
Tips and swaps
Scandi pickle mix You can vary your pickling mix and aromatics according to what’s to hand. I particularly like a Scandi-style mix of cider vinegar, fennel or caraway seeds, crushed bay leaves, a little thinly sliced onion and fresh dill.
Pickled brassicas Small cauliflower and broccoli florets, and/or their finely shredded stems, pickle successfully. Shredded cabbage works well too. You could also try pickling finely sliced fennel or red onions.
Carrot and ginger steamed pudding
This is a great way to use up cooked carrots of any kind – steamed, boiled or roasted. You don’t want any that are generously seasoned with garlic, but carrots roasted in oil with salt and pepper, and even a bit of thyme or a few bay leaves, work very well indeed.
SERVES 4–6
5 balls of stem ginger in syrup, plus
4 tablespoons syrup from the jar
100g butter, softened, plus extra to
grease the basin
50g light muscovado sugar, plus
2 tablespoons
50g caster sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
140g self-raising flour
¼ teaspoon salt
About 100g cooked carrots, diced
Finely grated zest of ½ small orange
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
2–3 tablespoons milk
Lightly butter a 900ml pudding basin. For the cover, lay a large square of foil on top of a square of baking parchment that’s the same size. Fold a pleat of about 4cm, both layers together, down the middle.
Spoon the ginger syrup into the basin and pack the 2 tablespoons muscovado sugar on top of that. Thinly slice two of the ginger balls and layer them on top of the sugar. Dice the remaining stem ginger and set aside.
Using a hand-held electric whisk or mixer, cream the butter with the muscovado and caster sugars for several minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time.
Sift together the flour and salt then fold into the mixture. Fold in the diced carrots, reserved stem ginger, grated orange zest and ground cardamom, if using.
Stir in just enough milk to give the batter a light, dropping consistency. Spoon into the basin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Cover the basin with the foil and parchment square, with the foil uppermost. Tie it securely with kitchen string under the rim of the basin.
Put a trivet or a heatproof saucer in the bottom of a large pan and sit the basin on top. Pour in enough boiling water from the kettle to come halfway up the side of the basin. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 1½ hours, topping up with boiling water as necessary.
Carefully remove the basin from the pan and let it stand for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and parchment, gently run a palette knife around the inside to release the pudding, then invert the pudding onto a shallow serving dish. Serve immediately, with thick cream or custard.
Tips and swaps
Fruity option Soak a handful of chopped dried dates or raisins in tea or orange juice to plump them up a little, then drain and fold into the mixture with the carrots.
Parsnipy version Simply replace the carrots with roast parsnips. You can also swap the orange with lemon zest.
Beetroot and caraway seed cake
Based on a traditional seed cake, this is quick to make and has a light and tender crumb. It’s a sweet way to use up leftover roasted (or boiled) roots, especially beetroot, which creates a particularly vibrant version! Roots roasted with salt and pepper, even with some bay and/or thyme, are great but don’t use any roasted with garlic. This cake keeps well; if anything, it’s better after a couple of days stored in an airtight tin.
MAKES 1 LOAF CAKE
About 100g cooked beetroot
2–4 tablespoons milk
50g ground almonds
1½ teaspoons caraway seeds
150g butter, softened, plus extra to grease the tin
150g caster sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
150g self-raising flour, sifted
2 tablespoons pearl or demerara sugar, to finish
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3. Lightly grease a 1.5 litre loaf tin and line with baking parchment, then butter the parchment.
In a bowl, mash the beetroot with some of the milk until smooth. You can do this in a food processor or with a stick blender if you like. Mix in the ground almonds and caraway seeds.
Using a hand-held electric whisk or a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gently fold in the flour, followed by the beetroot mixture, until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and gently smooth the surface. Sprinkle the pearl or demerara sugar over the top and bake for 55–60 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips and swaps
Carrot or parsnip seed cake Simply replace the beetroot with roast carrots or parsnips. You can use plain mashed or puréed veg too.
