Roasted Beets with Goats Cheese and Rosemary Cauliflower 'Bread' Crumbs

Monday, February 10, 2014





I've always felt like beets taste like mud. A very childish statement, I admit but they did and I'm sure I can find plenty of people that agree with me. And before you coo "how do you know what mud tastes like?" think back to the days of mud pies in the playground and don't pretend you never tasted yours.

The thing is though, when beets don't taste like mud, they really are very good. Not to mention my previous confession for my love of radio-active looking foods. I really am such a child. (I also like  animal shaped foods).

My point is, these beets don't taste like mud, to me. They taste very very good and they're very very easy to make. Let's move on from mud pies and go for something a little more refined this play time.

PS. Speaking of 'earthy' food we take from the dirt,(or the playground) those little flowers you see are rosemary and as I discovered this week, just as edible and flavoursome than the rosemary you're used to. I found them sprouting out of my rosemary plant and thought they looked so pretty sprinkled on top!

P.P.S Beets have an amazing source of iron!








 





SERVES - 2-4 PEOPLE AS AN APPETISER
 YOU WILL NEED:

250G CAULIFLOWER FLORETS (ABOUT 1/4 OF A CAULIFLOWER)
250G PRE-COOKED BEETROOT
4 CLOVES GARLIC
90G (A MEDIUM 'BLOCK') GOATS CHEESE
2 TSP HONEY
1/2 TSP DRIED RED CHILLI FLAKES
ZEST OF ONE LEMON
JUICE OF ONE LEMON
HANDFUL OF FRESH ROSEMARY (FLOWERS OPTIONAL BUT A PRETTY PLUS)
FRESHLY CHOPPED PARSLEY
OLIVE OIL
SEA SALT AND PEPPER

Pre-heat the oven to 175 C or 350 F.

Crumble the cauliflower in a food processor, just for a few seconds at a time so that it doesn't end up as baby food and it has a bread crumb consistency.

Rinse the bright fuchsia juices off of the beetroot (allow a few minutes to pretend you're in at a crime scene, if like me, you must). Cut them into quarters and cut a few of those pieces in half.

On one parchment paper lined baking tray, spread the cauliflower out. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil evenly and squeeze over some lemon juice and add a pinch of salt and pepper. There should be space on the same tray for the beets. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the rosemary all over.

On a separate lined tray, drizzle the goats cheese with the honey and sprinkle over the chilli flakes.

Bake both for 15-20 minutes. You may need to toss the cauliflower crumbs, making sure they don't burn.

Remove the cauliflower and beets from the oven and place the goats cheese under the grill (broiler) for 2-3 minutes.

Place the goats cheese (including all the melty bits) in the centre of a serving plate and surround it with the roasted beetroot and garlic cloves. (optional). Sprinkle the cauliflower 'bread' crumbs all over and add the remaining fresh rosemary. Sprinkle with some fresh parsley and the lemon zest.

Enjoy while the cheese is still melted!