Beetroot risotto

28/07/2013

This recipe has been tried by several people who come to our working bees and they have all loved it. It has a beautiful colour and while good on it's own, the original recipe says that it's "a fine partner for good sausages" : )

This amount serves 4 to 6 people

Ingredients

• 3 medium beetroot, with their leaves

• 40 g butter

• 1 small onion, very finely chopped

• 400 g arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano rice

• 1 litre chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

• shredded rind and juice of 1 orange

• 4 tablespoons walnut oil

• salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Trim, peel and coarsely grate the beetroot. Coarsely shred the leaves.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and fry over a gentle heat until softened and translucent. Add the beetroot and cook for a further few minutes. Add the rice, raise the heat to medium and stir to ensure the rice is evenly coated.

Meanwhile, heat the stock in another pot. Add about 1 cup of simmering stock and stir constantly until the stock is absorbed. Add the remaining stock a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. After about 25 minutes test the rice. It is ready when each grain is soft, with a suggestion of resistance in the centre. If necessary add more stock or water.

When ready stir through the leaves, allowing them to wilt. Remove from heat, stir in the walnut oil, orange rind and juice, and season with salt and pepper. Cover for two minutes, then serve immediately.

Submitted by a friend of the garden

Note: I use only about 2 tablespoons of walnut oil as more than this gives an 'oily' result. Walnut oil can be purchased in the international section of Centre City New World.

If your beetroot has no leaves with it I find it good to substitute a few leaves of silverbeet/swiss chard.