This is not only a good recipe, but also beautiful 🙂 let’s tell the truth, its color is amazing and it can always surprise positively your guests 🙂

It’s a simple recipe (if you are already used to make risotto), with simple ingredients, and if you like this particular winter vegetable for sure you are going to like it.

(I have already wrote also another delicious recipe with beetroot, click HERE)

To balance even better the sweetness of the beetroot, you can use a blue cheese (like gorgonzola), or other soft but more intense cheese (like taleggio, robiola, etc.). I didn’t have it now and I don’t really like blue cheese I have to say, but keep it in mind because it’s a good tip and many good chefs use it. In alternative also in the following way, just with classic Parmigiano or Pecorino, the recipe will be also good.

Let’s see.

INGREDIENTS (2 people):

• 150 g rice (Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
• 150 g beetroot (boiled and peeled)
• half glass of dry white wine
• 40 g butter
• half onion
• vegetable broth
• 60-80 g of freshly grated Pecorino cheese, or Parmigiano Reggiano

1. First of all we have to boil the beetroots. Take a pot and boil them in salted water, with their peel, for about 40-45 minutes (it depends how big they are). In the same time prepare also a vegetable broth if you don’t have it.
2. Once the beetroots are boiled, peeled them and cut into small cubes. Then take an immersion blender, add some hot vegetable broth to the beetroot cubes and make a cream with it. Keep some cubes for decoration.
3. Take a pan, heat half of the butter and then slowly cook the onions (cut very small), until soft.
4. Meanwhile take a cocotte/pot, heat it and when it’s hot add the rice, with no fats. We have to toast it for 2-3 minutes, keep it moved with a wooden spoon (or simply make it “jump” by moving the pot) every 20-30 seconds and when you cannot no more touch the rice with your hands and you see that the grains have become a bit shiny/transparent then it’s toasted. This is the moment to add the white wine, keep the heat higher until the wine has reduced. Start counting the time from now, in 15-16 minutes a Carnaroli rice will be ready, read the package too.
5. When the alcohol has gone add a ladle of vegetable broth, the onions and the beetroot cream. Keep cooking at medium heat, and keep adding the vegetable stock when it’s needed.
6. When the rice is ready, add the butter and the freshly grated Pecorino (or Parmigiano Reggiano), mix gently, and let it rest a couple of minutes.
7. Serve it with the remaining cubes of beetroot, and some chives if you would like.