But I urge you to take a stand: pink food is appropriate 364 other days a year. And since this year is a leap year, you get a bonus day. Take that bonus day to treat yourself to Roasted Beet Risotto.
The process of making the risotto was simple enough, especially since I made the beet puree a few days in advance, though it did require standing next to the stove for a half an hour; a sacrifice that I'm willing to make when the payoff is this big. And when I served it along side some of our favorite roasted chicken and a green salad, Tim thought maybe he had forgotten a special occassion.
Roasted Beet Risotto
recipe adapted slightly from Gourmet, November 2004
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
3/4 cup to 1 cup roasted beet puree
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups Arborio or Jasmine rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt & pepper
In a medium pot, bring broth and water to a simmer. Cover and keep on low heat.
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Add the wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until wine is absorbed. Stir in 1 ladle (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup broth/water mixture) liquid and stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue simmering, stirring, and adding liquid, 1 ladle at a time, allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes, until rice is creamy and just tender. When there is about 2 ladles of liquid left, stir in fresh thyme. Add another ladle of liquid and beet puree.
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper). Thin if necessary with remaining liquid. Risotto should spread in the bowl or plate. Serve hot.
This Risotto is so pretty. Risotto is one of my favorite dishes, this would make a great valentines dish.
ReplyDeleteGreat dish, and I love this photo. Might be my favorite so far since you got your new camera!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Diana and Sharon!
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued...maybe I'll try this some day!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day!
What a pretty picture! I need to get better at photography. I've never made risotto before, I might have to give this a try.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful dish, and knowing you I'm sure it's also scrumptious! :)
ReplyDelete2 notes from my risotto-making experiences:
*I typically use regular old long-grain white rice, and it turns out just as well (and I get to have risotto more often because it costs way less!). :)
*Canned chicken broth often contains trace amounts of gluten--I had no idea, but I discovered this the hard way when making carrot risotto for a highly gluten-intolerant friend. About 3 bites of the supposedly GF risotto and she could already tell! Now I use Wyler's bouillon cubes instead, 2 cubes to 3 cups of water. That way I don't poison any friends by accident. :)