Roasted Beetroot Risotto with Goats Cheese
Ingredients: Serves 4 as a main and 6-8 as a first course
Approx. 1 litres fresh vegetable stock (see separate recipe)
400g raw unpeeled beetroot, washed, dried and cut into wedges (6/8 pieces each)
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
400g/14oz *Carnaroli risotto rice
250ml/½ pint Noilly Prat/dry vermouth/dry white wine
Olive oil for cooking
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
125g goats cheese log, crumbled. You will need to use a cheese that is fairly mature, with a full tangy flavour.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wild rocket or pea shoots to garnish
Method: Preheat the oven 180 deg C fan/gas 6
Toss the beetroot in olive oil and spread in one layer onto a heavy baking sheet. Season with salt and black pepper and bake in the preheated oven, turning half way, for around 35-45 minutes until soft and sweet. Remove from the oven.
Chop a quarter of the beetroot coarsely but not too large. Puree the rest finely in a food processor. Set to one side.
In a heavy based sauce pan, cook the shallot and celery without colour over a gentle heat in three tablespoons of olive oil. Don’t add salt a pepper at this stage. Add the risotto rice, stirring well to coat in the oil and cook. After a minute or two it will look slightly translucent and you will hear it start to crack. Add the vermouth/wine and once it has cooked into the rice add the hot stock a ladle at a time. Listen as it cooks, you will hear when it needs more stock it will slightly sizzle. Add more stock, remembering to keep stirring each time, this will bring the starch out of the rice and give the risotto a creamy texture. After about 10 minutes add pureed beetroot and continue string add more stock as necessary. When the rice is almost cooked, this will take around 15 minutes, taste the rice and carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Stir in the chopped beetroot and half of the crumbed cheese and cook for a further couple of minutes, allowing the cheese to melt. Stir in a good drizzle of olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, use boiling water. Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.
To serve: Looks really good served with the rest of the cheese sprinkled over, and a few rocket leaves, drizzled with extra virgin olive.
*Carnaroli is the king of risotto rice from Vercelli in the middle of the Po Flats. The rice is high in starch and can absorb liquid for a long time whilst still remaining al dente, and wonderfully creamy.