Beetroot And Goats Cheese Gratin Food

BEET, GREENS AND GOAT CHEESE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove the beets from the stems and greens. Set the greens aside for a moment and wash the beets. On a baking sheet lay a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil on it. Make sure it is large enough to hole the beets in one tightly sealed package. Wrap up the beets and roast them in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes until a knife can be inserted easily into a beet. Set aside to cool. reduve the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Lightly coat the inside of a baking dish with the butter and set aside.
• While the beets are roasting, prepare the beet greens: Thoroughly wash the stems and the greens, then place them on a dishtowel to drain. Remove the stems from the greens. Chop them int 1/2 inch pieces and reserve 2 cups of the chopped stems and reserve the rest for another use. Cut the beet greens into ribbons and place in a colander. Set aside.
• In a 12 inch sauté pan melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and the beet stems and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the beet greens and stir until wilted, 5 or 10 minutes. Cook and stir until all of the water has evaporated from the pan.Set aside.
• Make the Béchamel: Melt the butter over low heat taking care not to scorch it. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk until a paste forms. Slowly add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the goat cheese and pecorino romano, whisk until incorporated. season with salt and pepper to taste.
• heat the pan with the greens and make sure all for the water has evaporated. Combine 1 cup of the béchamel into the greens and combine. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper.
• Peel the beets and thinly slice them with a knife or a mandoline. The slices should be no more than 1/8 inch thick.
• Line the baking dish with half of the beet slices. Spread the filling of greens, leeks and béchamel over the beet layer, topping this with the remaining beet slices. You should have a thick layer of beets on the top and botom of the gratin.
• Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the beets, scatter the remaining crumbled goat cheese and grated romano over the top of the gratin and bake in the over for 20 - 25 minutes until the top is brown and the gratin is bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and cool for 15 - 20 minutes before slicing.

ROASTED BEETS WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.*
• Wash the beets. Trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens (you can save them for later and use them in salads). Leaving on the stem helps keep the beets from "bleeding" out red juice in the oven.
• Rub the beets lightly with olive oil. Place the beets in a covered oven proof dish. (You also can wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place them on the oven grates).
• Roast the beets for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size and freshness, until tender when pierced with a fork. Check every 10 minutes until tender; we've found medium sized beets take about 1 hour.
• Allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers. You can serve immediately, or refrigerate the whole beets until serving and serve them cold.
• To serve, slice the beets into rounds and arrange them on a plate. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 pinch kosher salt. Top with goat cheese dollops and thinly sliced chives.

BEETROOT AND GOAT'S CHEESE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Cook the beetroot in boiling water for 15 minutes then drain, run under cold water to cool and cut into 1cm thick slices. Grease a 1 litre shallow gratin dish and layer the sliced beetroot and goat's cheese, seasoning each layer. Whisk the cream with the horseradish, pour over the gratin and scatter the breadcrumbs on top. Dot with butter and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with watercress salad and walnut bread. bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with watercress salad and walnut bread.

MARINATED BEETROOT WITH GRILLED GOAT'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Mix the oil, vinegar, sugar and thyme in a shallow dish and season well. Add the sliced beetroot and marinate for at least 1 hr or overnight, if you like.
• Heat grill to high. Season the goat's cheese slices, then place on an oiled baking tray and grill for 2-3 mins until golden and melting.
• Lift out the beetroot, reserving the marinade, and divide between 4 plates. Top with the rocket, a round of goat's cheese and a little more rocket. Drizzle with the marinade and serve.

SPAGHETTI AND BEETROOT WITH GOATS CHEESE.

Steps:

• Boil the beetroot for 15-20 mins until tender and skins rub off easily (remember to wear gloves!).
• Grate the beetroot or process until shredded.
• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft.
• Break the spaghetti into smaller pieces and add to the pan, frying until golden.
• Stir in the stock, bring to the boil and add the beetroot.
• Cook for ten minutes until the spaghetti is soft and the sauce is creamy. Add more stock if neccesary.
• At this point,taste and season. Sometimes I add a splash of balsamic to lift the flavour of the beetroot and a smattering of dried rosemary or thyme.
• Stir in half the goats cheese, and serve with rest on top.
• NB- I have done this with mozzerella which seemed to work for me.

ROASTED BEETROOT & GOAT'S CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put the beetroot in a roasting tin with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp vinegar and plenty of seasoning. Roast for 8-10 mins until sticky. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the green beans, cook for 1 min, then drain. Toss in with the beetroot and roast for a further 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the remaining oil and vinegar in a small bowl, and season well. Put the mixed leaves and cucumber in a bowl and toss together with a little dressing.
• Dip both cheese halves in the chopped walnuts so the tops are covered, then pop in the roasting tin with the beetroot and green beans for a few mins, to soften and toast the nuts.
• Pile the salad onto plates and serve with the remaining dressing drizzled over the top.

GOAT'S CHEESE & BEETROOT SALAD

Steps:

• Thinly slice the beetroot, either with a very sharp knife or on a mandolin. Arrange overlapping slices over four dinner plates.
• Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar, replace the lid, then shake well to mix. Drizzle a little over the beetroot. Slice the goat's cheese into 12 and put 3 slices on top of each serving of beetroot. Toss the salad leaves in a little dressing, then put a small pile of leaves on top of each serving of cheese. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.