Purple pros of beetroot

Beetroot pairs well with lots of different flavours, a fact which might surprise many who associate it with a cheap, vinegary…

Beetroot pairs well with lots of different flavours, a fact which might surprise many who associate it with a cheap, vinegary sharpness. It pairs beautifully with shellfish - memorably in the combination cooked by Adrian Roche in Dublin's Jacob's Ladder restaurant, where it is matched with scallops in a stunning dish - but it is also a favourite with smoked eel, for example, a match which Paul Rankin cooks. Mr Rankin also fits it up with goats' cheese, having baked the beets first.

They really are a doddle to cook, for all you have to do is give them a rinse - being careful not to break the skin - and either wrap them in foil and place in a hot oven for an hour or so, or else just place them in a pot with boiling water and cook until they are tender.

Don't be tempted to stick a knife into them to see if they are ready, for then they will bleed and some of the goodness, and the colour, will be lost. When they are ready, just peel off the skin, and if you want to be lazy you need to do no more than drizzle walnut oil over them and toss over some chopped scallions.

If you want to be more adventurous, take a tip from the cookery writer Annie Bell and make a salad with blanched French beans, Roquefort, walnuts and chives, and dress it with red wine vinegar and walnut oil. The subtle beets are a blessing to everything else.