Beetroot anyone?

I read an article about this rather neglected root vegetable last week and it inspired me to buy some from my local market. Apparently beetroot is good for people with blood circulation problems and also for athletes who are trying to improve their performance. It does wonderful things with the blood capillaries to improve the oxygen flow in the body. Faced with three red raw roots today, I decided to get creative and adapt a couple of recipes to my own taste. I have made potato latkes in the past and also onion bhaji so how about a beet version of both?

Here's what I did. I grated a large beetroot and a similar amount of carrot. I mixed in some cumin seeds, some salt and pepper, a couple of chopped spring onions and a crushed garlic clove. To this mix, I added a good slug of chickpea flour and then combined it all with half a beaten egg - oops almost forgot the half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to make it crispy. I then heated some rapeseed oil in my wok and put big fat spoonfuls of the mixture in to cook, turning after a couple of minutes. Result? Nice yummy veggie snacks.

These are great served with creme fraiche and can be spiced up with any combination of spices. Next time I am going to use water instead of egg as I do for my bhajis and I am going to add fresh chopped coriander or maybe even some horseradish for a Scandi twist. They can me made ahead and reheated in the oven to crisp them up. I would have put a picture up to illustrate mine but they seem to have vanished. Next time!