Beetroot Risotto

This colourful dish is not only stunning to look at, but fantastic to eat too! I use red wine instead of white to preserve the gorgeous purple colour. This particular recipe is for oven baking, but you can make the risotto the normal way on the stove as well (follow the packet instructions on quantities of liquid vs rice).

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 500g fresh beetroot
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• knob of butter
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
• 250g risotto rice (I like Vialone Nano, but Arborio works fine too)
• 150ml red wine
• 700ml hot chicken stock (vegetable stock if cooking for veggies)
• handful grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Peel and trim the beetroots (use kitchen gloves if you don’t want your hands to get stained) and cut into large wedges. Place on a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, season, then cook for 1 hr until the beets are soft.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil with the butter in an ovenproof pan with a lid. Tip in the onion and garlic, then cook for 3-5 mins until translucent. Stir in the rice until well coated with the butter and oil. Pour over the white wine, then let the mixture bubble away for 5 mins.
3. Stir well, then pour over the stock. Stir again, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 15 mins until the rice is soft. Remove the beetroots from the oven. Whizz ¼ of them to make a purée, then chop the remainder into small pieces. Stir most of the Parmesan, the beetroot purée and chopped beetroot through the risotto.
4. Serve with fresh peas or beans (the purple and green look amazing together on the plate!)
5. Sprinkle grated parmesan

Option: Beetroot and goats cheese is an amazing combination. Try adding some crumbled goats cheese on top before serving. Yum!