In honour of our new zin format that brings together the two things our farm does best – food and wine – this dish puts them all on one plate! It’s one of those dishes that takes a simple seasonal ingredient, in this case beetroot, and turns it into a whole meal. Slightly caramelised red wine roast beetroot, creamy fetta cheese, a bright dressing and that crunch of buckwheat to round it all out.

As always, you can adjust the recipe, particularly the herbs, to what you have on hand or your preference, and measurements are just a guideline.

Ingredients 

For the beetroot: 

• 1 kg fresh beetroot 
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped 
• 250 mls red wine 
• 125 mls olive oil 
• 125 mls verjuice 
• 50 mls pomegranate molasses 
• 1 dsp sumac 
• A few garlic cloves 
• Fresh or dried chilli to taste 
• Salt & pepper 
• A sprig each of fennel, marjoram & rosemary 

For the dressing: 

• 1 lemon  
• 1 tbsp honey  
• Olive oil 

For serving: 

• 250 g of fetta or fresh goats curd 
• Buckwheat 
• Chives & mint 

Method

To cook the beetroot. Quarter the beetroot and trim away any tough exterior – do not peel. Place it in a spacious roasting dish, add all the other ingredients and give it a stir. Cook at 200°C for 20 – 30 minutes or until starting to caramelise slightly and tender. Cool.

For the dressing. Separate the cooking juices from the beetroot tray. Add ½ cup of good extra virgin olive oil to every cup of liquid. Add the juice of the lemon, the honey and adjust seasoning if necessary. Mix well, this is now your dressing.

To toast the buckwheat. Spread the buckwheat in a single layer in a roasting tray, roast with a little salt for about 20 minutes at 180°C, or until golden brown. Store in an airtight container and use wherever you want to add a little crunch to dishes and salads.

To serve. Cut as much of the beetroot as you want to use into chunky slices (the rest will store well for several days under the dressing). On a plate spread the fetta or fresh goats’ curd and top with the beetroot (adjust the cheese to beetroot ratio to your liking). Pour a generous amount of the dressing over. Sprinkle with toasted buckwheat, chopped chives and a little torn fresh mint.