Beetroot sashimi, apple, teriyaki
This is a sample recipe from my book “No sushi”
I first came across candy beetroot (also known as Chioggia) when I was a contestant on MasterChef. I had recently joined Twitter and I soon came across an amazing grocer called Andreas. I cycled over to his small shop on Chelsea Green and found an Alladin’s Cave of interesting ingredients not available in supermarkets that might help my dishes stand out from the crowd. Sliced raw, candy beetroots have beautiful red and white concentric circles, but they end up deep pink when cooked, as the two colours bleed into each other. With this colour and graining, it reminded me of raw tuna and inspired me to create a sashimi dish that vegetarians could enjoy. Apple and wasabi are commonly paired with beetroot; the Japanese herb shiso adds a freshness to the vinaigrette that dresses the beetroot. Beetroot adds an earthy sweetness that sets it apart from normal teriyaki sauce.
INGREDIENTS
Beetroot teriyaki
1 red beetroot, grated
100ml soy sauce
100ml sake
100ml mirin
Sugar (optional, depending how sweet the mirin is)
Shiso vinaigrette
25ml sake
25g white miso
25ml soy sauce
50g demerara sugar
50ml rice vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2-3 shiso leaves
Beetroot sashimi
2-3 candy beetroot, baked as in method
Beetroot teriyaki
Shiso dressing
1 green apple
Shiso cress (or wasabi leaves and flowers, if in season)
METHOD
Beetroot teriyaki
Place all the ingredients into a pan and gently bring to the simmer.
Turn the heat down and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool naturally.
Press the sauce through a fine sieve.
Store in the fridge ready for use.
Shiso vinaigrette
Place all the ingredients in a small blender and blend until the leaves are emulsified into a dressing.
Beetroot
Bake the beetroot in their skins, wrapped in parchment and foil (add a splash of water, a splash of vinegar and a generous pinch of sea salt).
The beetroot will cook in anything from an hour to two, or more, depending on the size (try to choose beetroot the same size, or at least grade them by size before wrapping).
Test them with a sharp knife – if it slides in easily, they’re cooked.
Allow to cool a little, then peel the skins away with kitchen paper.
Assembling the dish
Slice the beetroot thinly.
Dress the beetroot lightly in a bowl with shiso dressing.
Place the dressed beetroot on a plate and drizzle beetroot teriyaki around.
Make a fine julienne of apple matchsticks to garnish.