Make a hash of it: how to make the most of beetroot leaves – recipe
Hash is a clever way to use up the day before’s leftovers, because almost any combination of chopped meat and vegetables, all fried together and topped with a fried egg, is scrumptious. I’ve focused today’s recipe around a whole beetroot, including its leaves, which are even more nutritious than the root itself, full of vitamins A, B6, C and K, and rich in iron, magnesium and potassium.
Beetroot leaf hash with chickpeas and chorizo
In my hashes, I like to use a can of beans to replace boiled or mashed potato, because beans are an environmental hero that also makes a quick and easy base for all kinds of dishes. Try making your own hash from leftover ingredients including potatoes or other root vegetables mixed with any leafy green vegetables or leftovers such as cooked broccoli, peas or cauliflower.
If you can’t find whole bunches of beetroot with their leaves, substitute the leaves with another leafy green such as spinach, chard or kale.
Unlike the canned beans, the raw beetroot take some time to cook through, which is why I like to cook them quickly and efficiently in a pressure cooker almost as soon as I get home from the market. That way, they are ready and waiting for whenever you need them. You can, of course, also use ready-cooked beetroot and a substitute green.
Serves 2
300g clean bunch of beetroot with leaves attached, or 200g cooked beetroot and 100g of another leafy green
180g good smoked streaky bacon lardons, or chopped cooking chorizo, or plant-based alternative
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
240g cooked beans or chickpeas, or 1 440g tin, drained
6 sun-dried tomatoes, cut in half lengthways
2 tsp smoked paprika, plus extra to serve
To serve (all optional)
2 fried, boiled or poached eggs
Roughly chopped parsley, from stem to leaf
Cut the leafy tops off the beetroot near the root, thenfinely chop the stalks and shred the leaves. Put the roots in a pressure cooker, cover with cold water, turn on the heat and, once it reaches full pressure, cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave to cool completely, then rub the skins off the beetroot and cut the roots into wedges. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, simmer the beetroot in water for about 30 minutes, until tender, then prepare as above.)
Put a large frying panon a medium heat, add the bacon lardons, chorizo or plant-based alternative, and fry for five minutes, until the fat renders and it turns golden brown. Lift out of the pan, leaving the fat behind.
In the same pan, fry the onion, stirring, for a few minutes, until it begins to soften and turn translucent. Stir in all the beetroot greens, the chopped spring onions and crushed garlic, then saute, stirring, until the greens start to wilt. Add the cooked beans or chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, the smoked paprika and beetroot wedges, then return the bacon to the pan and fry, stirring, until everything’s heated through.
Serve topped with an egg, cooked how you like, and a sprinkle each of roughly chopped parsley and smoked paprika.
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