Beetroot Risotto
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 400g (14 oz) Raw Beetroot
- 1 Medium Onion
- 30g (1 oz) Butter
- 400g (14 oz) Arborio rice
- 3 Garlic cloves – finely chopped
- 1.2Litres (2 ¼ pints) Vegetable stock
- 50ml (2 fl oz) Vodka or dry sherry
- Juice of half a lemon – plus ½ tsp zest
- 90g (3 ½ oz) italian hard cheese – finely shredded to tangled threads
- 1 tbsp finely minced parsley – optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Big dollops of Greek yoghurt – optional
How To Make
- Peel and chop the beetroot into small chunks.
- Peel and chop the onion and then add it to the butter melted in a large saucepan.
- Fry the onion until transparent and add the beetroot.
- Stir rhythmically for about 10 minutes to coat in the butter and to soften slightly.
- Then add the rice and garlic and, still stirring, fry for several minutes on a heat gentle enough not to colour the rice but simply to turn it translucent and readier to absorb the stock and pink juices of the beetroot.
- Now add a ladleful of the hot stock and stir steadily until it is all absorbed and you are ready to add the next ladleful.
- Continue in this way for about 20 minutes until you have used up all the stock and the rice is tender, creamy and almost fuchsia pink.
- The beetroot should be soft, though perhaps with just a hint of bite to it.
- Add the vodka and lemon juice in the last few moments, season with salt and pepper and add about half of the italian hard cheese.
- Stir it a couple of times the let the risotto sit still for a few minutes, protectively lidded. Hold back a little stock or boi8ling water for this stage just to loosen it slightly before serving.
- Serve with the rest of the italian hard cheese, the parsley and if you wish the Greek yoghurt too.