Vegetarian
For 2 persons
Ingredients
2 medium beetroots
1 hyper-fresh or preferably pasteurized egg yolk
½ sour apple
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 small spoonful of capers
¼ onion
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs of chives
Preparation
1- Boil the whole beetroot with a little salt until it is cooked, that is to say that the whole piece feels soft. Allow to cool.
2- Once it is cold, remove the skin by massaging it with a paper towel to remove the skin.
3-Chop the beetroot into squares of about half a centimetre.
4- Finely chop the apple as well as the beetroot, capers and onion,
5- Mix the ingredients in a bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix homogeneously.
6- Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
7- Before serving, add the egg yolk and finely chopped chives.
A little bit of history
In the tuna tartar recipe I explained the history of the original recipe. The Beetroot Tartar is a modern version, adapted to vegetarian preferences. This dish has become not a specific dish, but the name of a raw preparation of ingredients chopped in brunoise and lightly marinated.
The beetroot (beet):
There is evidence that it was cultivated in Babylon about 4,000 years ago, although only the leaves were used in cooking. The Greeks used the roots in a medicinal way. This type of medicinal use continued and varied throughout the Middle Ages when it was used for convalescent people and mainly to treat digestive problems.
Towards the 19th century Napoleon supported the production of beet sugar with great economic resources, since when Spain lost the colony of Haiti, there was a general shortage in Europe, which was solved thanks to beet production.
Something current...
According to the report: The powdered beet market made by Future Market Insights, the powdered beet market has had a significant growth, especially because of the demand for gluten-free products, vegans, juices and sports drinks and cosmetics made with natural products.
In 2016, some 690,000 tonnes were sold in the market, which is expected to grow to over one million tonnes in the next seven years.
Nutrition...
Almost 90% of the composition of a beet is water, they give an important contribution of vegetable fibre, about 3 grams per 100, carbohydrates 6.7%, potassium and vitamin C (5 mg).
The betaine and betalaine that give it its colour have benefits for preventing heart disease and for muscle maintenance.
It also contains folates that help in the production of red and white lobes, and for the immune system. They are mainly important for the development of foetuses in pregnancies, since deficiency of this can lead to diseases such as spina bifida or anacephalus in babies. According to the Spanish Nutrition Association (Asociación Española de Nutrición), beet folates “are equivalent to 45% of the Recommended Daily Intakes (RDI) for men and women aged 20-39 with moderate physical activity”.
