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Beetroot and blue cheese spelt

An average of 4.8 out of 5 stars from 4 ratings
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
30 mins to 1 hour
Serve
Serves 4
Dietary
Egg-free

Pearled spelt is a grain that can be used a lot like pearl barley or bulgur. Here it's served with sweet, earthy beetroot and creamy, salty cheese. A great mixture of flavours and textures.

Ingredients

  • spelt: 200g/7oz pearled spelt
  • beetroot: 300g/10½oz vacuum-packed beetroot, steamed, ready-to-eat and chopped into small chunks
  • yoghurt: 3 tbsp live plain yoghurt
  • dill: 20g/¾oz fresh dill, finely chopped, plus a few sprigs to garnish
  • lemon: 1 lemon, juice only
  • olive oil: 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • walnuts: handful walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
  • gorgonzola: 100g/3½oz blue cheese, such as gorgonzola or creamy Irish blue cheese, crumbled
  • black pepper: salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Cook the spelt according to the packet instructions. It usually needs to be boiled for just under 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

  2. Place the beetroot in a bowl. Mix the spelt with the beetroot, then add the yoghurt, dill, lemon juice and oil. Season with about 15 twists of a pepper mill and add salt to taste.

  3. Toss the walnuts and blue cheese over the spelt and garnish with a few dill sprigs.

Recipe tips

The spelt keeps very well in the fridge for 2–3 days – the longer you keep it, the more intense the colour will become.