Beetroot leaf tart, made with sautéed beetroot greens atop an enriched pizza dough base is a double frugality: use those beetroot greens and the dough ball languishing in the freezer!
Waste not, want not
Fighting food waste is a noble cause supported by many celebrity chefs. The strategy of eating an animal ‘from nose to tail’, popularised by chef Fergus Henderson is a commendable approach we should practise more.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on the other hand published a whole cookbook with recipes for dishes made from leftovers, including fish bones.
I’d probably draw a line there, nor should I be too keen to eat onion peels, but there are perfectly good, tasty and nutritious foodstuffs that we mindlessly chuck away: beetroot leaves.
Culinary potential of beetroot leaves
Beetroot is a versatile vegetable that enjoys a respected status in the culinary world. While the root itself is commonly used in various dishes, beetroot leaves often go unnoticed.
What might be news to you, these often discarded leaves possess incredible nutritional value and can add a unique touch to a wide range of dishes.
Beetroot leaves, also referred to as beet greens, are rich in essential nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K as well as minerals such as iron, calcium, and potassium. They are also a great source of dietary fibre and contain beneficial antioxidants.
For some strange reason spinach and chard are well-rooted in the recipe world while beet leaves, even though they can be used and enjoyed in the same way, are left by the wayside (of the market stall).
What to do with beetroot leaves?
Obviously, the new season small and tender beetroot tops are the best and they can even be used raw in salads, just like baby spinach leaves.
Otherwise they need to be washed thoroughly, dried with paper towels or in a salad spinner and cooked.
One of the simplest ways to enjoy beetroot leaves is to sauté or stir-fry them, similarly to spinach or chard.
Incorporating them into soups and stews adds depth and a unique earthy flavour. Chop the leaves and add them during the final stages of cooking to retain their colour and texture.
They work well in hearty vegetable soups or traditional recipes like borscht, a popular Eastern European beetroot soup. In fact, Poles make a spring version of borscht with just the beetroot leaves, stems and those tiny baby heads clinging to them when picked very early.
The French also use betterave verdure like chard or spinach and in Corsica they make lovely pies with beet greens filling.
And the recipe below is another suggestion: sautéed beetroot leaves, seasoned simply with garlic, a little honey and a little vinegar make a wonderful topping for a tart.
How to sauté beetroot leaves
They are a little thicker than spinach, especially if somewhat overgrown, so will benefit from blanching.
Drained, squeezed to get rid of moisture, and roughly chopped, they only need tossing with butter or olive oil and seasoning. They will cook some more when baked on top of the tart.
Tart base variations
My recipe uses a homemade or shop-bought pizza dough ball, enriched with grated Cheddar cheese and olive oil, kneaded into the dough ball.
Shortcrust pastry, a savoury pie crust can also be used, with or without any cheesy embellishments in that instance.
And for the ultimate shortcut and a dish ready within minutes you can use a sheet or a round of good puff pastry, pricked with a fork all over and brushed with beaten egg. In this case skip the pan-on-the-hob step and slip it straight into the oven.
More savoury tart recipes
Caramelised leek and Cheddar tart on shortcrust pastry, homemade or shop bought, is a fabulous, easy dish, as good to serve warm as it is cold.
Sweetcorn tart with cheese topping on a crusty, cheesy base of pizza dough. Vegetarian and gorgeous, for lunch or dinner. Shop bough dough is OKAY.
Crostata or galette is a sweet or savoury open, rustic pie. This one is a tomato crostata with honey and thyme flavour on flaky pastry made from scratch, with a sneaky cheese addition.
More beetroot recipes
Beetroot and horseradish cured salmon, aka gravadlax, gets the fantastic colour from the beet. Cured salmon is really easy to prepare and it needn’t be made in huge quantities - but it will disappear sooner than you think!
Beetroot gratin, thinly sliced beets baked in garlic and dill infused cream is a gorgeous side to a fish course. No need to pre-cook the beetroot.
Raw beetroot salad with a simple dressing; a healthy fresh salad with sliced chioggia beetroot, grated cheese and lots of fresh herbs. Easy side or a healthy lunch dish.