Beetroot Pate

I once thought I would try to buy a vegetarian pate. It was not a success… Frankly I’m not sure which of the ingredients caused the calamity. But I still liked the idea of a vegetable and bean based pate and thought it must be possible to make something better myself. This is what I came up with. It has a vibrant colour and spreads well, both warm and cold. Importantly, it also met the approval of all my boys!

You will need:

1 medium beetroot

400 g tin of kidney beans (or soak and cook ca. 1.5 dl of dried kidney beans)

20 g butter

1 egg

25 g cheddar cheese, finely grated

½ - 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

Salt and pepper

Wash the dirt off the beetroot, but leave the skin on. Bake it in the oven at 200°C for 45 min – 1 hr, until it is crinkly and cooked (test by inserting a small sharp knife into it – it should go in without much resistance, if cooked). Leave to cool for 15 min., or until you can handle it, then skin it, and place the chopped flesh in a blender.

Add the kidney beans, the butter and the egg and blend until fairly smooth, but still showing a little texture. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in the grated cheese and the herbs. Transfer to a small oven proof dish – I used a small foil dish that can hold about 400 ml. Smooth the top a little.

Bake for 45 min. in a 180°C oven. The top should spring back a little when pressed.

The pate can be served warm or cold. Enjoy!

Tips:

Feel free to use a different sort of bean; I’m sure it works well with white beans too for example.

Equally, you can substitute the cheddar for a different firm cheese. And I certainly leave the strength of the cheese up to you – use what you have and what you like!