i Lead Recipes

The beet (Beta vulgaris) is a plant in the amaranth family. It is best known its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is probably the red root vegetable known as the garden beet or beetroot. However, other cultivated varieties include the leaf vegetables chard and spinach beet, as well as the root vegetables sugar beet, which is important in the production of table sugar, and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop. Beet Greens or Swiss Chard are frequently incorrectly called spinach, and are eaten as a pot herb. Young leaves of the garden beet are sometimes used similarly. The midribs of Swiss chard are eaten boiled while the whole leaf blades are eaten as spinach beet. In Africa the whole leaf blades are usually prepared with the midribs as one dish. The leaves and stems of young plants are steamed briefly and eaten as a vegetable; older leaves and stems are stir-fried and have a flavour resembling taro leaves.

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This makes a wonderful side dish. Preparation time is around 15 minutes and baking time 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

1,3kg fresh spinach. Washed and the thick white ribs removed.

3 eggs

500ml cream

100g Parmesan cheese, grated

2,5ml nutmeg

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Steam the spinach until it is soft and wilted. Drain it well to get rid of excess water. Chop it roughly.
2. Beat the eggs and cream and add the Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Be careful not to add too much salt as the Parmesan is quite salty.
3. Mix the spinach and cream mixture well. Pour into dish (about 5cm deep). Bake in the upper half of the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crisp. The centre will be creamy.

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