- 400g beetroot
- 150g quinoa
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 oranges
- 2 red onions
- A pinch or two of chilli powder
- 2 Medjool dates
- 40g tahini
- A handful of flat leaf parsley, leaves only
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 300ml boiling water
- 100ml warm water
- 1.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Pop a roasting tin in the oven on the top shelf to heat up.
- 2.
Peel the beetroot. Cut them into 2cm-thick wedges. Pop in a bowl and toss with 2 tsp olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Tumble the beetroot wedges into the hot roasting tin. Roast for 15 mins.
- 3.
While the beetroot roast, rinse the quinoa in a sieve for 1-2 mins. Set a small pan over a high heat. Add 1 tsp each of the fennel and coriander seeds. Stir and toast for 1-2 mins till they smell aromatic. Stir in the quinoa with 1 tsp of the ground cumin. Pour in 300ml boiling water.
- 4.
Finely grate in the zest of 1 orange. Turn the heat down under the pan. Cover and simmer for 15 mins or till all the water is absorbed. Take off the heat and set aside.
- 5.
While the quinoa cooks, peel and thinly slice the onions. Tip them into a bowl. Add a pinch or 2 of chilli powder (it’s spicy, so add as much or as little as you like), 1 tsp each fennel and coriander seeds and some salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Add to the tin with the beetroot. Roast for 10 mins or till the onions and beetroot are just charred around the edges.
- 6.
Stone the dates. Pop in a food processor or blender with 100ml warm water, the tahini, a pinch of the chilli powder, 1 tsp ground cumin and the zest from the remaining orange. Season and blitz till smooth. No processor? Just stir them all together for a chunkier sauce.
- 7.
Slice the tops and bottoms off the zested oranges and slice the white pith off with a knife. Cut the segments out of each orange over a bowl to catch the juice. Squeeze the papery membranes to wring out any last bits of juice from the segments. Discard the membranes.
- 8.
Toss the warm spiced beetroot with the orange segments. Heap the quinoa onto 2 plates and top with the orangey beetroot. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Scatter them on top. Spoon over the dressing to serve.