As we round the final bend in the Northern hemisphere root vegetable marathon, it can be hard to know what to do with the umpteenth swede / parsnip / beetroot / turnip to arrive in your veg box.
This great recipe has been kindly provided for us by our friends at Ripple Farm Organics in Crundale. Sarah says: "Winter beetroot grown in the UK will have been stored in the ground or lifted and kept in cold-storage, ready for use in Winter and early spring and they do need more cooking than the succulent, sweet spring/summer crops. I find the best way to use them is grated, either raw in salads or added to a cooked dish."
Ingredients
(for the filling)
2 chopped onions
1 or 2 leeks
400g cooked brown lentils
oil
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 or 2 grated carrots
1 or 2 grated beetroots
Salt and pepper
Herbs of your choice and / or a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce or vegan Worcestershire sauce (with no anchovies!)
(for the topping)
900g potatoes, or a mix of potatoes, turnip, swede and / or parsnips
50g butter
25g cheese or vegan cheese
Method
Cook together the chopped onions, leeks and cooked lentils in a little oil. Then add the tomatoes, grated carrots and grated beetroot.
Season as you like with salt, pepper, herbs and / or Worcestershire sauce.
At the same time, boil your potatoes or root veg mix, and mash with butter and seasoning.
Place the mix in baking dish, cover with the mash, fork through to spread the mixture and create an attractive finish, top with the grated cheese, and bake in a medium oven for 30 mins.
Time from Cupboard to Table
1 hour 20 minutes including pre-cooking the lentils.
Variations
Grated carrot and beetroot added to vegetarian mince or lentils, onions and tomatoes works equally well when making a chilli or Bolognese sauce and adds colour to the sauce.
Recipe generously provided by Ripple Farm Organics
Crundale, Canterbury CT4 7EB
Categories: recipes, seasonal eating
