Beetroot and fennel dip with sour cherries

New

Side Easy

Serves 6-8

Prep 25 min

Cook 1 hr 40 min

This brings together Georgian and Turkish salads. I would make it in the morning, if possible, and serve in the evening, allowing the flavours to settle and become deeper and more rounded.
You can serve it warm from the oven, or at room temperature - both work well. I add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yoghurt, though it's equally good without any dairy. A green chilli split in half can be added as this goes in the oven, if you want some heat.

Ingredients

100ml	olive oil
1	onion (180g), finely sliced
1	small fennel bulb (200g), trimmed and finely sliced (180g)
3	garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthways
2	bay leaves
1 ½ tsp	fennel seeds
5-6	raw beetroot (750g), peeled and sliced in ¾ cm thick half moons
1 ½ tbsp	cherry or pomegranate molasses
70g	dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
	Fine sea salt and black pepper.
TO SERVE (OPTIONAL)
	sour cream or greek yoghurt
	roughly chopped dill or parsley
	well-roasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C.
Place a 26cm cast iron or sauté pan on medium high heat. Once hot, add in the oil with the onion, fennel, garlic, bay leaves and fennel seeds. Cook, stirring frequently for 10 minutes, until lightly caramelised, and take off the heat.
Stir in the beetroot, molasses and sour cherries with 100ml water, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix well, cover tightly and bake for 1 ½ hours until tender. Set aside to cool and serve with the sour cream, dill and hazelnuts if using.