Recipes from the last few Grauns that I'm vaguely into the concept of

[kaberett]

Vanilla shortbread cake; spiced quince cake, and pear, chocolate and hazelnut cake; the Nigel Slater lentils also don't sound terrible; and of course several of the things from this week's theme of charred.

Meanwhile cake #2 is a mild horror that as far as I can tell has been designed precisely to make me_and think it's a good idea: it is, in essence, a purple maths-themed beetroot-dust pavlova and I'm gently horrified.

eta smitten kitchen just posted an unholy mashup of puttanesca and shakshuka. I have capers and oregano and thyme and parsley in and I am so here for this.

Comments

[deborah_c]

... only gently?!

[kaberett]

I try quite hard not to be actively horrified at food people think is a good idea, in addition to which I work on openness to Fascinating Culinary Decisions (because sometimes, like Vanilla Black's white chocolate and mushroom dessert, they're delicious) but beetroot is something that I am gently suspicious of anyway (I am working on it, okay), so. :-p

[rydra_wong]

like Vanilla Black's white chocolate and mushroom dessert

I have not tried that because I am incapable of not having the smoked paprika fudge. But Naive have a milk chocolate bar with porcini powder which is disturbingly wonderful.

ETA: I share your suspicions of beetroot, and am also working on it -- my best achievement so far has been inventing parmesan beetroot oven chips, which are actually the best oven chips I've mad. Can share recipe if it would be of interest?

[kaberett]

HAPPILY I cannot have the builders' tea ice-cream, which leaves me free to try More Things -- having said which (a) I seriously need to go while the sheep's yoghurt and blueberry is still on the menu, and (b) I didn't actually order the white-chocolate-and-mushroom, I just nicked some of P's.

Interest Has Been Expressed in the beetroot oven chips, so yes please :-)

[rydra_wong]

beetroot (I used about 270g, with the knobbly ends cut off but not peeled)
1 tbsp olive oil
about 1 tbsp coarse sea salt (it was fairly approximate)
25g finely grated parmesan

Start pre-heating your oven to 200 degrees C (thi is with a fan oven, in case it makes a difference).
Cut your beetroot into skinny chips (I don't think chunky would cook through nearly as well).
Mix them with the oil, salt and parmesan. Spread out on tinfoil.
Cook for about 40 minutes, turning them over every ten minutes or so -- timing seems to depend on narrowness of chip, so go for "until they look done".

I like these a lot and I generally don't like beetroot in things.

[tree_and_leaf]

Hm. Maybe I should try that. I don't like beetroot much, but I do like it in crisp form.

[rydra_wong]

There's definitely a textural issue with beetroot for me, and this version manages a crispness/crunchiness that I've not encountered except with deep-fried chips (I think the parmesan helps enormously).

Also I usually find it over-sweet, but the salt/cheese here seems to balance it out.

[kaberett]

Thank you! :-)

(Beetroot crisps do work for me these days; the other thing that seems to work is goats' cheese & beetroot tart. The meal I had at David Bann last summer also got me some way toward being more convinced by the earthiness that was previously what had put me off, and me_and is very slowly coaxing me into being willing to eat not-pickled beetroot in salads and the like, by dint of liking the stuff and having it around such that I can eat it in small quantities without worrying about food waste. So I am definitely Making Progress, but I am equally definitely Not There Yet.)

[rydra_wong]

Yes, beetroot plus goat's cheese does often seem to work.

got me some way toward being more convinced by the earthiness that was previously what had put me off

Yes, it's one of those things where I feel *waves hands* I don't really get beetroot or how it's supposed to work in taste terms. Thus, interesting to see if there are combinations/cooking methods which make it work for me (as opposed to leaving me unconvinced and suspicious).

[vass]

I am also suspicious of beetroot (except as a nickname for my cat.)

In Australia, the canonical fish and chip shop burger with the lot contains beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, tomato sauce, a pineapple ring, a fried egg, and a slice of beetroot.

I do not know how this came to pass.

[davidgillon]

I like beetroot, but that's just strange.

I am, however, reminded of once being behind a guy at a bar in a nightclub, who asked for a half of lager in a pint glass, then proceeded to have the barman make up the remainder of the pint with various spirits, starting with creme de menthe and going downhill from there. I suspect the full Australian burger may have originated after a night drinking those....

[azurelunatic]

*compares descriptions*

Yes, seems likely!

[vass]

"it's a Regional Specialty!" (GNU Terry Pratchett)