Witloof and Beetroot Boats

December 1, 2005

The Christmas functions are in full swing and I am always on the lookout for new ideas. My hairdresser and I were swapping notes the other day. She related how she’d given a party for 40 guests and served at least a dozen different finger foods – all of which she’d made herself. I wasn’t surprised when she admitted she was exhausted by the end of the night.

Scaled down morsels of ethnic fare can make for interesting nibbles to go with drinks. We’re all used to little spring rolls and tiny satay sticks. But other items can be adapted – baby samosas, tiny prawn toasts and little Thai fish cakes, miniature Lebanese pizzas topped with cinnamon-flavoured minced lamb and pinenuts.

While cocktail party fare needs to have some substance as it’s often a substitute for a meal, there’s also a place for something light and fresh.

Today’s recipe is inspired by some finger food I tasted at the Melbourne Cup. A company called Peter Rowland not only runs the main catering facilities at Flemington Racecourse, but also caters the numerous corporate hospitality marquees. Not only was the finger food delicious, but the presentation was amazing. In some cases, instead of trays or platters, there were large square shallow wooden frames, filled with rock salt then decorated with flat leaves and flowers and topped with glass for the food to rest on. Individual works of art.

But one eye-catcher was the platter of witloof or endive leaves, topped with a little beetroot filling. While I don’t know exactly what was in the filling - it was gone in one bite - here’s my version with a little additional garnish to give it a Yuletide feel.

Two points to remember – drain the filling in a sieve so it becomes as dry as possible, and spoon it into the leaves just prior to serving. This way you will avoid unsightly beetroot bleed. The pomegranate molasses lends tartness and being thick, helps hold everything together. In fact my boats stayed quite pristine in the fridge for a couple of hours till the test panel came home from work, but don’t chance it!

If you can’t find witloof, split open snow peas or use small lengths of celery.

Beetroot Boats

2-3 medium beetroot
1/4 cup burghul
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly milled pepper
1/4 cup very finely chopped red pepper
a few chives or garlic chives
4-6 witloof

Cover the burghul in water and set aside for 30 minutes, Drain well in a sieve then set aside till required.

Scrub the beetroot and chop off the leaves, leaving about 2cms of stalk. Wrap individually in foil and bake in a pre-heated 200C oven for about an hour or until tender. Unwrap and allow to cool a little before rubbing off the peel. Rubber gloves are a good idea.

Finely chop. This can be achieved by putting the beetroot in a flat-bottomed container and using a metal pastry scraper or a flat ended egg slice. Don’t be tempted to use the blender. Add the pomegrate molasses, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the burghul. Set the mixture aside for about an hour to allow the flavours to develop then place in a sieve, stir and allow to drain.

Separate the leaves from the witloof and arrange on an attractive round platter. Spoon a little of the filling into each leaf and decorate with a few bits of red pepper and a little sprinkling of chives.

<< Previous | Next >>