FreshFixLife | Paleo Beetroot Relish

I am very fond of beetroot. This is only a very recent realisation as I’ve learnt how to actually cook with it. I now realise that beetroot literally goes with everything! It is sweet and savoury all at the same time. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid (which is perfect as husband and I are trying for babies!), fibre and potassium. As well as heaps of other nutritional benefits, they taste amazing, ESPECIALLY when made into my delicious beetroot relish! I searched online for a recipe, and actually, there isn’t really a paleo beetroot relish recipe in Google land, so I had to come up with this myself.

I promise you that this stuff is seriously the most amazing condiment you will ever try. It goes with everything from steaks, to hamburgers, to chicken to literally being smeared on bread. It is so tasty you’ll wonder why you hadn’t made it before now. And you’ll go through it like no tomorrow because it is so delicious, so make a huge batch like me! It will last ages in the fridge (I keep mine at the back of the fridge where it is coolest and if you don’t eat it all, it will last 2-3 months), if you can stay away from eating it! I should give you the recipe now, and you should pop out to the shops and buy yourself some tasty organic beetroots to make this immediately. Trust me!

Ingredients:

6 beetroots, peeled and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

5-6 tablespoons coconut oil

60-95g ginger, peeled and chopped

2 small brown onions, chopped

1 chilli, chopped (I used a long red one from my garden)

500g tomatoes, chopped

1-2 tablespoons Himalayan salt

4 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C (fan forced). Place the peeled and chopped beetroot in a baking dish lined with baking paper and season with salt and pepper. If you don’t want pink fingers, then you better wear gloves to peel and chop the beetroot – it can get very pinky (it does wash off within about 24 hours though!). Roast for 30-40 mins until a little soft. You can cover with foil if you’d like to speed up the process.

2. In a heavy saucepan, place the coconut oil, ginger, onion and chilli and saute over a medium to high heat and cook until brown all over.

3. Add the tomatoes, salt and honey and cook until the tomatoes are all squishy and the sauce is dark and caramelised. Once it is bubbling, reduce the heat to low/medium to maintain gentle simmering to thicken the sauce.

4. Add the beetroot once the sauce is thickening and the tomatoes and squishy and caramelised. Add all the beetroot juices and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and keep simmering for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is a thicker consistency and the beetroots are cooked through enough to blend.

5. Once the mixture is ready, turn off the heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to your food processor or blender (I use my Vitamix) and whiz until a smoothish consistency. It doesn’t have to be super smooth, it is relish after all!