Beetroot pesto recipe

[woolymonkey]

As a thank you for all the cake suggestions, especially desperance's bloodstained beetroot chocolate cake, here's my current favourite thing to make with beetroot. As always with this kind of thing, I play fast and loose with quantities and ingredients. This is the book version I started with.



Beetroot Pesto

1 bunch of beetroot Recipe says 200g. I'm pretty sure the bunches I buy from the market are a lot more than that, but I've never checked.
150g pine nuts
5 cloves garlic I might use more
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil or mint, or any green stuff I can get--at least a whole bunch
zest and juice of a lemon
225ml olive oil not that I ever measure this, but I think I use less
150g parmesan
salt and pepper

Roast the beetroots whole (180C,350F,gas 4)till soft (an hour?). Peel, skin, and quarter.
Toast pine nuts in dry pan until they smell nutty and start to turn golden.
Chuck everything except the oil in the blender and whizz it, then add enough oil to get glossy pesto texture.

Tastes and looks wonderful!

The recipe comes from The Boxing Clever Cookbook, which is very smug about using seasonal food from an organic farm on the Moray Firth. Hence lots of beetroot recipes. How they get fresh basil in January is not explained, but it's a useful book if you have an allotment or veg box.

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Ooh now - beetroot pesto! Om nom nom. Also, thanks for the book-link; I don't know that, and, yup. I too get veggie gluts...

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Disappointingly, it has no mention of either sort of artichoke, though my allotment is over-generous with both. But dozens of recipies for beetroot, carrots, sprouts, kale, cabbage, potatoes...

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

This sounds lovely! Saving to prettygoodfood memories.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

It is lovely. And a beautiful crimson-purple colour too.

That comm looks interesting. *watches*