A wonderful but little known vegetable are the leaves off a beetroot. They’re pretty much just like English spinach (though they will dye whatever you add them to pink!)
Here’s a quick guide to cooking them:
1. Chop off the stems at the point where the leaf starts.
2. Throw the whole leaves into a colander and give a quick wash under the cold tap.
3. Transfer to a pan and pour boiling water all over them – blanch for 2 minutes.
4. Transfer back to the colander and rinse with cold water (cold is useful here as it lets you handle the leaves again).
5. Take the blanched leaves in your hands. They should form a ball. Give them a firm but gentle squeeze to remove excess liquid. Then place on a chopping board.
6. Using a large knife, chop up the ball as finely as you like. You’ll end up with something that looks very like cooked and chopped English spinach.
7. Add to anything you would use spinach in (e.g. curry, spanakopita). Alternatively, saute with fresh garlic and some butter for a wonderful and simple side dish.
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