Sweet & Sour Grated Hot Beetroot

Ingredients

• 1 kg beetroot (must be fresh, avoid large, old beetroot)
• 30 g butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sour cream

Directions

1. 1

   Cut leaves from beetroot, but leave some stem on so as to stop leeching of the colour during cooking.

2. 2

   Boil the beetroot in a saucepan for at least 45 minutes Do not test by pricking with fork or the colour will leech. Keep lid on whilst simmering to stop the red water from splashing and staining the cooktop.

3. 3

   When beetroot is ready, drain liquid and fill saucepan with cold water to stop the cooking.

4. 4

   Remove the outer skin of beetroot by hand under running cold water. Remove the dark scarred tissue that was connected to the leaf stems. Leave beetroot in a bowl to cool down further.

5. 5

   Using a hand grater, select the finest holes to grate the beetroot into a bowl. Be careful of your fingers. The inside of the beetroot may still be hot and could burn your fingers. DO NOT use the coarse or scalloped holes of the grater as this will make the texture too chunky. If the beetroot is woody, then grate around the woody core and discard the core. Do not use an electric blender as this will totally whip the beetroot and add air to the mixture. This will ruin the texture.

6. 6

   In a deep skillet, slowly melt the butter, stir in and dissolve the sugar, add the flour and stir into a paste. Add the vinegar, stir quickly and add the grated beetroot. Stir quickly to stop any sticking on the base of the skillet.

7. 7

   Over a low heat, gradually stir the mixture and taste. The taste must be balanced over the whole tongue. If you cannot taste sweetness on the front of the tongue, add a little sugar, stir and taste again. Repeat until you just taste the sweetness. Next, try to taste for sour. This will be the tang you feel at the side and back of the mouth. If you do not feel any "tang" then add a little more vinegar, stir and taste again. Repeat until the balance of sweet and sour satisfies the palate. Remove from heat until ready to serve. The mixture can be frozen at this point and reheated when needed.

8. 8

   When ready to serve, reheat slowly and add the sour cream. The sour cream will enhance the flavour.