Clapton Kitchen: Roasted beetroot with cavalo nero, spinach, pumpkin seeds and dijon vinegarette

I am a self-professed beetroot hater. Over and over again to anyone who will listen. Despite the beautiful colour, both the taste (dirt) and the texture (slimy) have not endeared me to it in any way. I have avoided it diligently and with commitment throughout the years boring every ear to tears.

And then a while ago I was at Moro nibbling my friend’s roasted beetroot as an experiment and realised it was pretty good. By roasted I mean roasted to a posh crisp. It had lost most of the dirt, all of the slime and taken on a lovely earthy sweetness. I scrapped it from my mind and carried on hating.

I then had a conversation with someone, along the lines of; stop being a child Tamara, it’s the way things are cooked most often and not the thing itself that's the problem. Absorbed at this point but not followed. I then had some beautifully cooked pigeon and went from a hater to a lover and then mulled the point.

Then beetroot crisps were eaten. Quite a few times.

I then got beetroot inside my vegetable box. So I came up with something I would like based on former knowledge – beetroot roasted with balsamic vinegar and honey with a rich Dijon vinaigrette. I am a convert. It was added to my next box.

But never pickled or ready cooked. Pigeon steps.

How many times can the word be said.

Serves 2 as a light dinner

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp of runny honey

1 heaped tsp of salt crystals

1 heaped tsp of black pepper

2 tsp of poppy seeds

One small bunch of cavalo nero and some mixed greens (spinach, watercress)

½ a Satsuma / clementine juiced

1 cap full of red wine vinegar

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 180 with fan for ten minutes. Peel and slice the beetroot to the thickness of a little finger (interesting imagery but that is all that springs to mind). Combine the Balsamic vinegar, honey, 1 tsp of salt crystals and 1 tsp of black pepper and whisk together. Toss the Beetroot in the mixture, lay in a tray and roast for 20 minutes. After that time, scatter the poppy seeds on the beetroot and continue roasting for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan on a medium heat keeping an eye on them (they can catch easily) and move them around. It should take approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.

Roughly chop the cavalo nero, other greens you are using (watercress is a good one as it has a peppery kick to offset the sweetness ) and toss them with the juice of the clementine and a pinch of salt.

Combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette. If it is a bit thick add a little splash of water. It should have the consistency of cream (velvety with a shiny tint). Olive oil, then mustard, lemon and the vinegar and seasonings. Whisk the latter gently in to the mixture so that it doesn’t split or curdle.

Assemble the salad; the greens first, pumpkin seeds in the middle, the beetroot around it and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Or drench (I actually had it as a dip on the side!)