Sweet Oven-Baked Beetroot

Today, an easy recipe from yesterday’s lunch. It was a Valentine’s lunch, so there had to be a touch of red. Especially since I had lunch with Ninka’s grandad and Ninka (her grandma had fallen ill and couldn’t come, but Ninka sent her a fantastic Valentine’s drawing for the occasion :).

Valentine’s Day was actually rather nice. You go to a café with your dad for a coffee and get the lovers’ discount for buying two coffees. I like it. On the other hand, the queue probably wasn’t worth the discount. And there I was, in a queue of blokes waiting for coffee. Because really, the only thing we had in common was the rule about who queues. When a bloke turns up with his girlfriend, it’s obvious who’s going to stand in line. When it’s grandad, son and granddaughter, that’s always obvious too.

So once we’d been treated to that Valentine’s promotion, there was no getting out of it. Lunch had to mark the occasion too. Beetroot it was. In love, it could only be sweet. That’s how I made it: sweet, with a hint of herbs. Particularly important for the lazy among us: no boiling or grating. Quite decent.

Dad ate it, complimented it and, although he’d planned to stay until Sunday, went home to Mum. I think a wave of romantic passion swept him away. After sweet beetroot? Why not? That’s another reason I recommend it.

Recipe details:

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 40 minutes

Baking temperature: 210 degrees Celsius

Serves: two fairly generous portions (but just add more beetroot and it’ll serve as many as you like)

How many calories: beetroot has no calories

Ingredients for sweet beetroot without boiling:

• 2 medium beetroots
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• ground black pepper
• a pinch of salt
• a tablespoon of olive oil

Recipe for sweet oven-baked beetroot:

Beetroot is easy to prepare. Not having to grate it is a huge advantage.

I started by peeling the beetroot and cutting it into small cubes (as shown in the photo). I put it in a shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkled it with sugar. I added rosemary, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper (not too much). I drizzled it with olive oil and mixed.

I put it in an oven preheated to 210 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. I stirred every 15 minutes. After 40 minutes (provided the beetroot is soft enough — it’s worth tasting it), the dish is ready. Enjoy!