Beetroot Risotto

Give your regular boring risotto a make over by adding beets to it that gives it a stunning vibrant color and a lot of depth of flavor!

I love beets. I have always loved beets. Growing up, it was a fun vegetable to eat because it was a little sweeter and had this gorgeous color that would turn that plate of absolute white curd rice to a stunning yet shy pink. It was always fun to try and mix a little bit of the beetroot thoran (beets sautéed with coconut and spices) to a little bit of the curd rice and see the play of colors. Another favorite of mine is Beetroot Pachadi where cooked beets are mixed in to yogurt and ground coconut with some spices. Oh my! The subtle sweetness of the beets paired so very well with the tanginess of the yogurt and the spices and it always looked pretty on your plate or on the banana leaf.

I have always wanted to make something with this vegetable other than Indian food and it was always mostly roasted beet salad. I then remembered writing down about Beet Risotto in my “Food Ideas for the Blog” book and I went to look for it. I wasn’t too sure if the beets had to be cooked first or roasted and I did not have a whole lot of time on my hands to do all that. I went through a whole bunch of recipes and saw that it was enough to grate the beets and add to the mix. I was beyond thrilled and quickly made a nice beautiful stunning pot of this beet risotto.

Another great thing about this vegetable is that you can use the leaves as well as the roots. Yes beet leaves are completely edible and super delicious too. So, the next time you buy beets with the leaves on, save the leaves. Cut off the leaves and store them separately in the refrigerator. That way they stay fresh longer. I have a very delicious recipe for you with beet leaves, that will be coming up soon!

V especially loved it because of the color and that is when I realized how awesome a recipe this is to sneak in some veggies to your picky eaters in the family – both little and big! I just used a cup and a half of Arborio rice and that was enough for dinner for all of us and to pack some for lunch for AJ. It was also a lot easier to manage with this quantity than what I have made in the past. I felt that it took a lot lesser time for it to cook and be creamy or maybe the excitement of the color made me lose track of time.

Anyway, without further ado, I present to you this Beetroot Risotto.

Beetroot Risotto – The Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 2 cippolini onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 beetroots / beets, peeled and grated
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• basil leaves, for garnish, optional

Method:

Heat the oil in an enameled cast iron pan and add the onions and garlic to it. Saute till the onions turn color slightly.

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a sauce pan and keep it simmering on low heat.

Add the grated beets to the onion garlic mixture and lets the beets soften a little. Mix in the rice and let it coat well with beet mixture. Add the stock 1/2 cup at a time and stir well and wait for it to be absorbed by the rice. Add the next 1/2 cup and so on, till the rice is cooked but not mushy. Keep stirring gently.

Add the parmesan cheese, salt and black pepper according to taste and chiffonade the basil leaves and garnish with them before serving.

Notes: Risotto is best when served as soon as it is made. It tends to thicken as it sits and even though you can loosen it a little with some water, it just wont have that same creaminess to it.

We enjoyed that with a glass of Malbec and it was delicious, though I would have gone with a rose, if it were summer now!