Braised Rainbow Chard with Truffled Beetroot Salsa

Serves 2 as main course or 4 as a starter

Takes 40 minutes

A gorgeous, sophisticated vegetarian dish that, while quite complex, is a real joy to serve to one’s guests. The beetroot salsa is also lovely in a cheese sarny!


200g Swiss chard

50ml olive oil

zest of half a lemon, peeled into strips and roughly chopped

½ red chilli

1 sprig rosemary leaves finely chopped

1 dspn lemon juice

½ tsp caraway seeds (optional)

Pickled mustard seeds

35g yellow mustard seeds

60 ml cider vinegar

20g caster sugar

large pinch salt

Truffled beetroot salsa

1 x 100g beetroot, raw

2 spring onions, finely sliced

½ tbsp soy sauce

½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar

2-3 tbspns pickled mustard seeds (above), drained

½ tsp root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped

½ tsp truffle oil

To serve

2 slices sourdough bread

Extra virgin olive oil

150g goat’s cheese


  • First cook your beetroot. You can of course boil or steam it, but we've found the best way to cook beetroot is to wrap it whole and unpeeled in tin foil, and put it into an oven at 200C. Cook for about 25 minutes until just done, then cool, peel and finely dice. Set aside

  • Meanwhile, make the pickled mustard seeds by combining all of the ingredients with 35ml of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes until soft

  • Using a sharp knife, separate the stems of the chard from the leaves. Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil, add a little salt and blanch the stalks for a minute or two, then refresh them in iced water. Drain the stalks and cut into 1cm lengths. Roughly shred the chard leaves and keep separate.

  • In a pan large big enough to hold the chard leaves, heat the olive oil over a moderate heat. Add the lemon zest, leave to bubble for a minute, then add the chilli and rosemary. Fry for two minutes then add the chard stalks, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for three to four minutes, then add the chard leaves and cook until they are tender. Check the seasoning. Add more lemon juice if needed

  • Combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and season to taste

  • To serve, grill the sourdough. Spoon over the braised chard and its juices, and drizzle over a little olive oil. Slice the goat’s cheese and lay on top of the chard, and spoon a little of the beetroot salsa on top of the cheese. Serve immediately