I like to make beetroot puree by roasting the beetroot as it really concentrates the flavour, but you can boil them or steam them too. I drizzle them with a little extra virgin olive oil and wrap in foil. I roast until they are soft and depending on size and freshness, this can take anything from 40-70 minutes. I peel them, chop them and blitz with some oil and lemon but in this case, I also added some of the soaked almonds I used for the dressing and flavoured the puree with half a clove of garlic and 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar. It was delicious!
This dish in small portions makes an excellent starter.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- For the scallops, if using
- Allow 3 large ones or 7 small per person
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and extra for drizzling
- A drizzle of fresh lemon juice
- A sprinkle of ground cumin
For the cauliflower puree
- 250g cauliflower florets
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/3 tsp coriander seeds
- 250ml almond milk
- Lemon juice to taste
For the quinoa salad
- 50g quinoa
- 2 celery sticks, finely sliced
- A few celery leaves, chopped
- ½ green or red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1/2 roast beetroot cut in very small dice
- a few wild garlic leaves, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice to taste
For the almond dressing
- 75g whole almonds
- 100ml almond milk
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp mustard
For the wild garlic oil
- 250g wild garlic leaves
- 250ml rapeseed oil
Method
For the wild garlic oil, wash the leaves well, drain and dry in a clean tea towel. Blitz with a pinch of salt and the oil to a very smooth puree. Put in a bowl and chill quickly over a bowl of icy water, so as to maintain the vibrant green colour. Strain through a muslin cloth and then a second time before transferring to a squeezy bottle. Use it to make mayonnaise to serve with prawns or other seafood or store in the freezer in little containers.
To make the almond dressing, soak the almonds in boiling water for a couple of hours or in cold water overnight. Bring a small saucepan with water to the boil, blanch the almonds for 30-40 seconds and drain. While still warm, remove the skins. Place the almonds and all the other ingredients in a jug of a stick blender and blitz. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and adjust the acidity to your liking by adding more vinegar or oil.
To make the cauliflower puree, chop roughly 250g of the cauliflower florets. Bring a saucepan with 2 tbsp of olive oil to a high heat. Add 1/3 of a tsp of the spice seeds and heat for 30 seconds. Add the chopped up cauliflower florets and stir for a few minutes until they caramelise and release a lovely nutty flavour. Add the almond milk, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook gently until the cauliflower is soft, approx. 15-17 minutes.
For the scallops, wash and pat dry them. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of ground cumin. Bring the oil in a large frying pan to a high heat and add the scallops, flat side down. The small ones need about 30 seconds on each side but the large, hand dived variety will take 2-3 minutes to cook. Don’t move them around in the pan so that they get a good caramelisation on both sides.
To serve, spread your selected puree on the plate, top with the quinoa salad, top with the scallops if using and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and garlic oil.
