Hot Pesto Mushrooms with Spelt and Beetroot Salad

18/06/2021

A wonderful mix of flavours and textures in this warming dish that could be centrepiece on your dinner table tonight. Roasted mushrooms topped with creamy pesto, crunchy vibrant beetroot salad and creamy spelt. This ancient grain with its nutty taste and texture adds bulk to this already amazing combination. It is also a good source of fibre. If you're short on time just use a readymade pesto, but it makes a huge difference if you could make your own. You can be creative with it and use along basil whatever herbs you have in your kitchen. We mixed it with spinach, rocket and dandelion greens. So delicious!

Serves: 2

Prepare: 10 minutes

Cook: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 100g pearled spelt, rinsed
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 4 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 10 min then finely sliced
  • 100g kale, stalks removed, finely chopped
  • 4 large flat mushrooms, outer skin peeled and stalks removed
  • 3 tbsp fresh green pesto with basil
  • 50g white breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ pack of beetroot salad

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C gas mark 6. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the spelt and toast, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed. When almost done add the chopped kale and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the mushrooms stalks-side up on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Mix the pesto and breadcrumbs and pile onto the mushrooms then bake for another 10 minutes.

3. Stir the lemon juice though the spelt and divide between plates with the beetroot salad, then arrange the mushrooms on top. Serve immediately.

Tip: You can swap the pearled spelt with barley but take in consideration that it has a longer cooking time, roughly 45 min.

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