beet leaf tart

Nose to tail, minimise waste, don’t throw out food, these are all noble causes supported by noble celebrity chefs (unless that’s an oxymoron). Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for one published a cookbook with recipes for dishes made from leftovers including fish bones. I’d probably draw a line there, likewise I’d not be too keen to eat onion peel, but there are perfectly good, tasty and nutritious foodstuffs that we mindlessly chuck away: beetroot leaves.

It does not happen in more frugal and sensible (foodwise) countries, to be sure: the Poles make a spring version of borscht with beetroot leaves, stems and those tiny baby heads clinging to the when picked very early. The French use betterave verdure like chard or spinach and the Corsicans (yes, I KNOW it’s France too) make lovely pies with beet greens filling.

The English do not only chuck the leaves, they don’t even buy raw beets with the greens on as they prefer the horrible ready-cooked ones. Beets (he he…) me – the leaves are tenderer and tastier than kale and they are as rich in zinc, antioxidants, fibre, … (insert your pet nutritional value) as you can imagine, combining the benefits of the green and the red veg.

If you get hold of really new, baby beets with vibrant, tender leaves, use them in salads. If they are more fibrous, don’t discard them but cook just like spinach. I was lucky to have a row of beets growing in the garden that needed thinning out so it was almost a shame to cook those tender young greens. And the tart base can be made from any pastry: savoury shortcrust, shop-bought puff or, like here, zinged up pizza dough. Just the thing to do with surplus pizza dough ball: with a little cheese and oil kneaded in it makes a great crispy, golden tart base.