Beet Risotto with Beet Greens

My bloke left on a train, about 40 minutes ago, and won't be back for over a week. I found myself walking home, racing the rain to get inside before it soaked me, wondering what the next 10 days will be like. I've been feeling quite whimsical for the past two weeks and now I have lots of quiet time to get creative with.

I always have much more to do than time to do it. A few of my aspirations for the week: 1. read "The Mists of Avalon"; 2. start working through the list of movies for 'Deeply Feeling People' on the Anima Center website, and maybe invite the girls over for one or two of them; 3. bake a batch of these and find someone to share them with. On Sunday, there's a 10K race which, I found out yesterday, I'll be running in. No time for boredom.



It's all up to me to use the vegetables in the garden now. I run out of things to do with beets very quickly, but luckily I've stumbled upon a good one: beet risotto.

This is a recipe that I got from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. I call this book 'The Bible', because it's huge, and because it has every ingredient in it that a vegetarian might ever want some inspiration for. There are over 1,400 recipes, and it taught me loads about cooking when I started in 2004. One night, coming home on the subway in NYC, I saw two girls holding a copy and discussing it. I decided it was just what I needed.

I jumped at this recipe because of the 'jewel-color' she promises in the final product. If we owned this house, I would paint a wall a similar shade. It also sounded unusual, which is a characteristic I find attractive in my meals. It didn't fail to please, and even my professional skeptic of a partner who is slightly more picky than I, likes it. Beets are wonderful for blood health, and in Ayurveda they're decently tolerated by all doshas (don't overdo it for Pitta). I love juicing them with ginger and apple, too.



Beet Risotto
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

1 bunch of beets and their greens
1 small/medium diced onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 TBS olive oil or butter or a mixture
1.5 cups arborio rice
6 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
fresh ground black pepper
zest and juice of one small lemon or part of a large one
a handful of pre-toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled goat's cheese (optional).
Note: the herbs can be fresh, of course; but our basil isn't grown up enough for me to start eating it, and I didn't want to go all the way to the top of town for fresh parsley, so I cheated.

Wash, peel and grate the beets until you have about 2 cups. Wash the greens and chop them into small squares or whatever bite-size you fancy. You may want to de-stem them, unless you're a fan of beet stems.

Melt the butter or heat the oil in a medium/large saucepan, and add the onion. Cook over medium heat until translucent and sweet but not caramelized. Add the rice and stir until well coated, about a minute; then add the white wine and simmer until it's absorbed. Now add in the grated beet root, along with the basil and parsley. Stir this all around, then add 2 cups of stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the stock is absorbed, then keep adding stock in 1/2 cup increments and let each addition absorb before adding more. When you've added all 6 cups and the risotto is just about done, add in the beet greens. Adding them at this late stage will keep them fresh and not overcooked, but heated enough so that the texture is nice and they're easily digestible. Season with fresh pepper, taste for salt, and add the lemon zest and juice. Thoroughly mix, then serve. Sprinkle with goat's cheese and the toasted nuts.