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Barbabietola
Beetroot
Appears in
By Antonio Carluccio and Priscilla Carluccio
Published 1997
This root is from the same family as sugar beet and is much loved as a cooked (or sometimes raw) root for salads. It is also the principal ingredient of soups like the traditional Russian borscht. The leaves of fresh beetroot can also be eaten.
To cook beetroot, first cut off the top leaves without damaging the skin and boil the roots for about two hours, depending on the size. They can also be baked in a moderate oven, covered with their own leaves and with water around them, for about 1-1½ hours. Once cool, cooked beetroot may be peeled and cut in slices to add to mixed salads. However, I prefer them in a salad of their own, with just fresh coriander, spring onions, salt, virgin olive oil and some good wine vinegar.