Beetroot Brownies

This weekend welcomed the festival of Lammas (meaning bread) also known as Lughnasa.  This is a time that celebrates the first harvests and the bounty of the land as we begin to see the literal fruit of our labours coming good.  As I’ve said before there are few Sabbaths that I formally celebrate and Lammas is always such a busy time, but I tend to find myself focused and productive on this day, ready to make good.

With this in mind I wanted to take advantage of my weekly CSA share of fresh, local and organic veg.  This has been such a wonderful experience and each week I am challenged to come up with something new and to find ways to use up anything left over from last week!  With this in mind I remembered Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall doing a recipe for Beetroot Brownies last year and decided to give them a go.

I’ve made brownies before, in fact I have made excellent brownies before.  Those brownies, however, shall now be known as the brownies I used to make before I learned to make beetroot brownies.  So from henceforth you shall know that if you come to my house and have brownies during the summertime, there is beetroot in there.  But you won’t care, or even comprehend that fact as you will be too busy pushing as much gorgeous, light, sweet, moist chocolatey goodness into your mouth as is polite in front of company.

Some of you may not even care about company and eat the whole pan.  I can’t be held responsible that’s all I’m saying.

Because I am kind and magnanimous (try saying that as you sneakily shovel down brownie in the kitchen while your beloved bathes the children) and because I do not want to carry alone the overwhelming responsibility of this awe inspiring recipe, here is  How To Make Beetroot Brownies.

You will need even ratios of beetroot, dark chocolate, unsalted butter and caster sugar.  My bunch of beetroot (unpeeled and uncooked) was 8oz so I went with that. The original recipe uses 10oz.

8oz of beetroot.  Cook until tender then peel and grate.

8oz dark chocolate

8oz unsalted butter

8oz caster sugar

3 large eggs

6oz self raising flour.

(for anyone using metric 1oz = 25g)

1.  Preheat oven to 180C.  Grease a baking tin 20 x 30 and line with waxed paper.  The tray should be 3 inches deep ideally.

2. Melt chocolate and butter together (I do this in the microwave, 1 min on high then stir then about another 30 secs does it)

3. Whisk eggs and sugar then add melted choc and butter.  Add to flour and mix until smooth.  As with all muffins and brownies do not over stir as this can make the brownie chewy and tough.

4.  Add grated beetroot, again don’t over mix just enough to evenly distribute.

Bake for 20 mins.  This may not seem enough but it really is.  The middle will be gooey but by the time it is cool it should be set and perfectly moist.  This recipe could also handle some nuts if you are so inclined.  I sprinkled the top with extra choccy drops because round here you can’t have too much chocolate.  For fun you could make the drops white ones, whatever takes your fancy.

Now simply stand back and accept the weeping gratitude of your friends and family as they achieve untold heights of rapture with big chocolatey grins on their faces.

Alternatively arm yourself with a chair and shout “Back, back you dogs of hell!” while you simultaneously eat chunks of brownie with the other hand.  Not that I would know of course because I didn’t do this.

Just make sure it is a big chair, kids can be sneaky.  As can husbands.