Ingredients
| 1 large golden beetroot, (you can use any colour but golden looks lovely) | |
| 2 size 7 egg whites | |
| 300g fine salt | |
| 400ml fresh crimson beetroot juice | |
| 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil | |
| big dollop of Massimos’s ricotta | |
| 1 teaspoon minced chives | |
| foraged fennel pollen (optional) |
Instructions
| 1. | Heat oven to 170°C. |
| 2. | Trim the stem from the beetroot so it will sit up while cooking. |
| 3. | Loosen the egg white with a whisk and combine with the salt to make a stiff paste. |
| 4. | Using your hands, mould the paste completely around the beetroot and put onto a baking tray. |
| 5. | Bake for 1½ hours, then rest until cool enough to handle. |
| 6. | Bring the beetroot juice to the boil and strain through a fine sieve. |
| 7. | Put back into the saucepan and very gently reduce till you are left with about 50ml of beetroot juice. |
| 8. | Allow to cool slightly then stir in the olive oil to emulsify, making a very thick and intense sauce – no seasoning is required. |
| 9. | Break the beetroot from the crust – I use a hammer to gently break the crust as it sets like concrete. |
| 10. | Peel the beetroot and wipe clean of any excess salt. |
| 11. | Add a dollop of ricotta onto your serving plate and arrange the sliced beetroot attractively on top. |
| 12. | Dress the ricotta with the beetroot oil and finish with minced chives. |
| 13. | If you know of any fennel growing wild nearby, fresh fennel pollen crumbled over is a nice touch to finish the dish. |
Recipes and food styling Des Harris / Photography Tony Nyberg
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