You know what day it is? It’s “MORE BEETS” day! That was sort of a trick question because every day is ripe for more beets, but I digress. We love beets, and this is our latest way to incorporate them onto our daily menu! The beets turned our Risotto pinkish/reddish, which gave the entire dish a Christmasy feeling that we weren’t anticipating…but we plan to recreate in December to be festive!
The garlic and the white pepper to flavor the dish added a lot of uniqueness, and the saltiness of the stock rounded out the sweetness of the beets…and the spinach came along for the nutritional ride!
Time: 45 Minutes (Plus time to boil your beets)
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Arborio Rice
- 4-5 Cups of Vegetable Stock
- 2-3 Medium Beets
- Onion
- A few Cloves of Garlic
- A few Handfuls of Baby Spinach
- White Pepper
Method:
- Cover your beets with water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cook until your beets are soft enough to pierce with a fork. Then, remove, and set aside to cool.
- As your beets cool, dice your onion, and peel and slice your garlic.
- When your beets are cool enough to touch, cut the tops and bottoms off your beets, and use your thumbs to press the skin to peel it off. Then, cut your beets into chunks.
- Bring your vegetable stock to a simmer in a pot.
- Melt some butter in a larger pan with tall sides. When the butter’s melted, add in your onion and garlic, and cook until the onion begins to caramelize.
- Add your chopped beets and arborio rice, and stir to combine. Allow to cook for a few minutes until the rice becomes opaque.
- Working one cup at a time, add in your stock, stir, and let the rice absorb the liquid. When the liquid has absorbed, add your next cup of stock. Do this until all of your stock is in your rice pan.
- For your last absorption period, add and stir in a handful or two of spinach, and sprinkle in some cracked white pepper.
- When your last liquid is absorbed, and your risotto is soft and “fluffy,” you’re good to go.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
