Beetroot Risotto

Last week we paid another visit to one of our favourite places: Kenyon Hall Farm to see what seasonal delights were on offer.  It had shrunk considerably since we last visited.  Apparently they are building a new cafe which should be interesting when it opens next year.  Despite the pending building works etc there was still a great deal of tempting seasonal produce for sale.

This time we were tempted into a fantastic pumpkin and a couple of gem squashes, tomatoes, carrots with tops and a lovely bunch of fresh beetroot.  Later today I am planning on cooking a pumpkin and chorizo risotto but last week I used the beetroot for a wonderful, healthy and fresh (and colourful) beetroot risotto.

Beetroot Risotto

What I used:

A bunch of fresh beetroot (about 300g), peeled and diced
250g Arborio rice
1lt chicken stock (gluten-free)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
Large knob of butter
Glass of white wine
1 onion (or use shallots)
300g bag of rocket, watercress and spinach mix
50g grated Parmesan
Olive oil
Pepper to taste

Method

First prepare the beetroot.  I kept some back and made a raw beetroot and carrot salad for the side.

Bring the stock to a simmer and add the chopped beetroot.  Cook for about 15 minutes till softened. 

Drain the beetroot and put aside.  The red stock is now ready to use to make the risotto.

In a large pan heat some oil and butter.  Fry the onion till soft and add the wine.  Allow the alcohol to evaporate and mix in the rice. 

Then add the stock (keeping it simmering), ladle at a time, allowing it to almost dry each time but stirring constantly so it does not stick. 

This should take about 25 minutes.

When the rice is cooked, add the beetroot, Parmesan and mixed leaves.  Heat through and when the leaves are wilted it is ready to serve.







With a little pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan this was a really tasty, healthy and seasonal meal.  We had it with some raw beetroot and carrot salad.  For this we mixed grated beetroot and carrot as it is so sweet it doesn't really need any dressing.