The effort it takes to bake and smoke the beetroot is worth it. Combined with the best quality buffalo mozzarella you can buy that the Middle Eastern touches make this a sophisticated and tasty starter (as well as looking incredibly pretty). When using mozzarella, you should ALWAYS serve it at room temperature so make sure you take it out the fridge an hour before serving.
Preheat the oven to 200c fan. In a roasting tin which will fit the beetroots snuggly, scatter enough salt on the bottom of the pan to cover. Trim the leaves and stalks from the beetroot leaving the crown intact. Rub each beetroot with olive oil and place on the salt. Nestle the rosemary and thyme in amongst the beetroot and cover the tin tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and pierce with the point of a sharp knife to make sure they are cooked, you may need to recover and return to the oven for longer depending on the size of the beetroots.
When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to steam with the foil on for a further 10 minutes. Remove the foil and allow to cool enough to handle. Slip the skins off and cut into segments. Leave to cool completely.
Place the beetroot in a bowl, cover with cling film or silicone cover, fill with smoke and leave for 20 minutes (see video).
Whisk the extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
To plate the dish, divide the smoked beetroot between 6 plates, tear the mozzarella into pieces and nestle amongst the beetroot. drizzle with lemon and oil dressing, sprinkle with dukkah and pomegranate seeds and finish with pea shoots and edible flowers if using.
Ingredients
- 500 g beetroot
- olive oil
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- coarse sea salt for baking
- 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 25 ml lemon juice
- 250 g buffalo mozzarella
- 2 tbsp dukkah spice mix
- 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- pea shoots and edible flowers for decoration
Equipment
- Smoking gun
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c fan. In a roasting tin which will fit the beetroots snuggly, scatter enough salt on the bottom of the pan to cover. Trim the leaves and stalks from the beetroot leaving the crown intact. Rub each beetroot with olive oil and place on the salt. Nestle the rosemary and thyme in amongst the beetroot and cover the tin tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and pierce with the point of a sharp knife to make sure they are cooked, you may need to recover and return to the oven for longer depending on the size of the beetroots.
- When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to steam with the foil on for a further 10 minutes. Remove the foil and allow to cool enough to handle. Slip the skins off and cut into segments. Leave to cool completely.
- Place the beetroot in a bowl, cover with cling film or silicone cover, fill with smoke and leave for 20 minutes (see video).
- Whisk the extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- To plate the dish, divide the smoked beetroot between 6 plates, tear the mozzarella into pieces and nestle amongst the beetroot. drizzle with lemon and oil dressing, sprinkle with dukkah and pomegranate seeds and finish with pea shoots and edible flowers if using.
Excellent starter dish. Super easy to prepare ahead and then plate up when guests arrive leaving more time for socialising. The home smoking for the beetroot was incredible.