Beet this for a dip
BEETROOT DIP
Easily serves 8-10 as a dip
Approx 1 kg beetroot
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
250g Greek yoghurt
Squeeze of honey
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch dried oregano
Pinch ground coriander
Salt and pepper
A few spring onions, sliced
Some sprouts
60-80g goat’s cheese, crumbled
handful of roasted chopped hazelnuts
Drizzle of olive oil to finish
Heat an oven to 200 degrees/gas 6. Give the beetroot a bit of a scrub and then trim the leaves and stems to save for a nice stir-fry. Wrap the beetroot individually in tinfoil and bake for about an hour on a baking tray, until they are good and soft. Let them cool down and then in a food processor, whizz them with the garlic, chilli, Greek yoghurt, honey, olive oil and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a serving bowl and top with sliced spring onions and/or some sprouts as well as some goat’s cheese, the chopped nuts and a little bit more olive oil. This lasted well for a few days in the fridge.
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE
200g skinned hazelnuts
250g butter
200g dark chocolate
4 eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
60g plain flour
Grease a 24-25cm-springform tin and line the base with parchment. Preheat oven to 150 degrees/gas 2. Process the nuts until they are coarsely ground. Melt the butter and chocolate – which you should break into pieces – in a bowl set over boiling water. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar until pale and thick, then add the vanilla and the melted butter and chocolate. Fold in the flour, then the egg whites. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes, possibly an hour. A skewer inserted in the cake should come out clean. This cake is nicer when it has cooled down. Serve with some sweetened cream.
DOMINI RECOMMENDS:
Ragusano cheese: This is a Sicilian cheese that tastes great in Caesar salads. It’s a bit wet to grate, so make sure it’s really cold before you try to grate it. It’s strong and salty though, so perfect in a Caesar.
