Beetroot, Green Bean + Salsa Verde (serves 4 as a side salad)

Ingredients:

4 medium to large beetroot (uncooked)

10 peppercorns

1 star anise

5 juniper berries

75g quinoa

100g green beans

salsa verde (recipe here)

50g pumpkin seeds

handful rocket

salt + pepper for seasoning

Start by cooking the beetroot (if you want to skip this part you can buy pre-cooked beetroot, although homemade is much more delicious and healthier :) ). Cut the tops off the beetroot if not already done and wash well, removing any dirt. With skin on, add to a pan of water along with the star anise, peppercorns and juniper (if you don’t have these spices don’t worry - a bay leaf if also a nice touch), and boil until a fork goes through easily. This may take over an hour, deepening on the beetroot, so it’s important to check every 15mins or so to add more water otherwise it will evaporate and boil down to a dry pan. Once cooked, drain and leave to cool.

Whilst the beetroot is cooking you can prepare everything else, toast the seeds by placing in a dry pan on a medium heat and keep moving so they don’t burn. They are done when the pumpkin seeds start to brown and pop.

Cook the quinoa by putting in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and cover well with water. Bring to the boil, then once boiling, lower to a simmer and simmer until the quinoa is cooked. I would put a timer on for about 8 mins, then check regularly until just cooked. Again, you don’t want the quinoa to be very soft, you want it cooked through with a nice bite to it. Drain and leave to cool - you can rinse with cold water.

Make the salsa verde as per recipe above then blanch or steam the green beans. If steaming then place over boiling water in a steamer for around 3 minutes, you want to pull them out when they are bright green and still have a bite to them. Same for blanching. To blanch, add some salt to a pan of boiling water and submerge for 1 - 2 minutes. For both options add to a bowl of cold water after cooking to stop the cooking process. Drain once cooled.

Once the beetroot is semi cooled, peel the skins off and slice into small wedges (the beetroot should have a lovely subtle taste of the spices). Add to a salad bowl with some of the salsa verde (the recipe might make more than you need - if so leave the rest in the fridge to have on other salads!), toasted seeds, rocket, and beans. Check seasoning, adding salt + pepper if needed.