Beetroots seasoned with blackcurrant

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Harriet Mansell's simple beetroot and blackcurrant recipe makes a delicious carpaccio-style vegan starter. The beetroots are cooked directly on the barbecue coals, providing them with a sweet and smoky flavour. They are then seasoned with a verdant blackcurrant leaf oil and a sweet and tart blackcurrant powder. Leftover oil can be frozen to preserve the green colour.

First published in 2022

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Blackcurrant powder

Blackcurrant leaf oil

Beetroots

  • 6 beetroots, a mixture of red, gold and chioggia

Equipment

  • Barbecue
  • Blender
  • Muslin cloth
  • Dehydrator

Method

1

Dehydrate the berries overnight. Once completely crisp, use a blender or spice grinder to blitz into a powder. This can be stored for months in an airtight container

2

To make the oil, place the leaves in the thermomix with the oil and a pinch of salt. Blitz and heat to 82ºC, once it reaches this temperature, turn off the heat and continue blitzing at full speed for 2 minutes. If you don't have a thermomix, you can use a thermometer and a regular blender; blanche the leaves in boiling water for one minute, then drain, squeeze out as much liquid as possible and blend 

3

Pour the oil into a bowl sat over ice to chill quickly and preserve the vibrant green colour. Then pour the oil into a muslin cloth-lined sieve set over a bowl and leave to drip through in the fridge overnight

4

Set up a barbecue and once the charcoals are white and glowing, place the beetroots directly onto the coals. Cook for around an hour, using tongs to turn occasionally to ensure the skins are evenly blackened and tender inside

  • 6 beetroots, a mixture of red, gold and chioggia
5

Peel whilst still warm, then finely slice against the grain

6

Lay out the beetroot onto plates whilst still warm, and season with the oil and powdered dehydrated blackberries

First published in 2022

Following years spent working on yachts as a private chef, Harriet Mansell returned to South West England, where she grew up, to open her debut restaurant Robin Wylde. Both there and at her second restaurant Lilac, she imaginatively showcases her love of wild food, which has developed over the course of her career.

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