Southern View: February 18, 2020

14 Tuesday February 18 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Tasty Bites
SOUTHERN VIEW
No more beeting around the bush
• By Ian Knott
Beetroot deserves so
much more than being
dumped from a can onto
a green salad. Packed
with essential nutrients,
this vibrant vegetable is a
great source of fibre, folate,
manganese, potassium,
iron, and vitamin C
Beetroot and halloumi
sliders with chilli jam
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and
drained
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 hot green chillis, finely
chopped
250g raw beetroot, peeled and
grated (wear gloves to avoid
staining your hands)
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
50g fresh wholemeal
breadcrumbs
1 egg
olive oil
Halloumi 1 slice per slider
Handful of rocket
8 or 12 small buns (brioche if you
can get them), split and cut side
toasted
Chilli jam to serve
Directions
Put the chickpeas in a bowl
and mash them roughly, add
the cumin and chilli and mash
again. Add the beetroot, parsley,
breadcrumbs, egg and plenty of
seasoning. Mix well and form into
8 or 12 small patties.
Heat about 1cm of oil in a
frying pan and fry the patties on
each side until they are crisp and
brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Fry the halloumi briefly until it
starts to brown a little. Put a few
rocket leaves on the base of each
bun, add a patty and a slice of
halloumi followed by a spoon
of chilli jam then put the lid on.
A cocktail stick will hold the lot
together. Serve 2 or 3 per person.
Roast beetroot soup with
caramelised onion and blue
cheese toast
Serves 6
Ingredients
1kg beetroots, topped, tailed,
scrubbed clean and cut into large
pieces
1 red onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic
½ a small bunch of thyme, plus a
few leaves
500ml vegetable stock
100ml crème fraîche
½ lemon, juiced
For the toast
3 slices sourdough, cut in half
4 Tbsp caramelised onion
chutney
150g blue cheese
handful of walnuts, roughly
chopped
Directions
Heat the oven to 200 deg C
(180 deg C fan forced). Put the
beetroots, red onion and garlic
into a roasting tin, pour in 150ml
of water, season well and scatter
over the thyme. Cover with a
double layer of foil and put into
the oven for 1hr 15min or until
the beetroots are very tender to
the point of a knife.
Remove the foil, peel the
beetroots and discard the skin,
then chop into small pieces. Put
into a pan with the onion, garlic
and vegetable stock, bring to the
boil then use a hand blender to
whizz until completely smooth,
or ladle into a blender and whizz.
Season, then stir in the crème
fraîche and lemon juice, and
whizz again. Keep warm.
Heat the grill to high. Put the
bread pieces onto a baking tray
and toast on either side. Spread
each piece with the chutney and
then add a piece of blue cheese,
some thyme leaves and walnuts.
Grill until melted.
Spoon the soup into bowls and
top with the toast.