Roasted Beet Risotto

We've been getting beets every week in our CSA share. I love beets! They are so sweet they taste like candy! I usually roast our beets and just enjoy them that way. I did, however, do some searching for new beet recipes. I found this recipe and gave it a try. We all really enjoyed it. I haven't done too much with risotto so I was a little nervous that it would turn out mushy. To my surprise it didn't! I think they key is to stir, stir and stir while adding the broth a little at a time. If you have the patience to do that then I think this dish will be successful for you as well. One other note. Hopefully those of you who have a CSA or buy your beets at the grocery store, keep the greens! Chop off the greens leaving two inches from the beet and store in a Ziploc bag. You can use the greens just like spinach, swiss chard or kale. My husband enjoys beet green omelets on the weekends!

Roasted Beet Risotto


Ingredients:

• 3-5 medium beets (1 1/2 pounds with greens), trimmed, greens chopped and set aside
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees
2. Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool to warm in foil package, about 20 minutes.
3. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stem and root ends, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4. Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. 
5. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
6. Stir in 1/2 cup of broth and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is just tender and creamy looking, about 20 minutes.
7. Stir in beets, greens, salt and pepper and stir until heated through. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.

This dish was yummy and pretty as well. All of the rice turned a beautiful shade of dark pink from the beets! Give it a try and as always, let me know what you think! Enjoy!