Red beet risotto

I am a big fan of risotto. It's so incredibly versatile; you can put any manner of meat or vegetable in it, and it's delicious. However, it can often look rather visually underwhelming, a sea of light beige grains punctuated by the odd light beige piece of chicken. So when I came across this visually striking recipe for red beet risotto, I had to try it. Anyone who knows me knows of my love of hot pink (I not too long ago had hair of a similar colour), so it's not surprising I'd be drawn to it.

Recipe

adapted from Bite Me
Serves 8

1¼ lbs beets, trimmed, rinsed and peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
1½ cups Arborio rice
¾ cup dry white wine
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place whole, peeled beets on a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and tightly wrap beets into a foil packet. Place packet on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 45-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, cut beets into ¼" cubes and set aside to cool.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, stirring occasionally until softened but not browned, 8-10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir rice into onions, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat low and stir in chicken broth. Leave to cook, covered, for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until broth is almost completely absorbed. The risotto is ready when the rice is mostly tender but with a hint of texture to it.

Stir in the roasted beets, Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Blend well and remove from heat, letting it stand 3-4 minutes before serving.

Musings

I haven't much experience working with beets, so I definitely could have roasted them a touch longer. They were a touch firmer than ideal. Otherwise, this made for an immensely pretty dish--hot pink risotto really is fantastic. The flavour itself is fairly light, as the beets aren't overpowering, so this would make a good side dish to complement roast beef or breaded chicken.