Lemony Gold Beet Barley Risotto Recipes

BEET RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place a small braiser or medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the hot pan and melt. Add the shallot, fennel, beet and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the in butter and oil mixture and toast slightly, about 3 more minutes. Deglaze with the sherry vinegar and season with the remaining salt. Begin adding the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring often. Cook, stirring, after each addition until the broth is almost completely absorbed, continuing with the remaining broth until the risotto is creamy, cooked through and still moves slightly when spooned onto a plate. This will take about 20 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until melted. Serve with crumbled gorgonzola on top.

ROASTED BEET RISOTTO

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until very tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool to warm in foil package, about 20 minutes.
• When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• While beets are cooling, bring broth and water to a bare simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Keep at a bare simmer, covered.
• Cook onion in oil in a wide 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
• Add wine and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup broth and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is just tender and creamy-looking, 18 to 22 minutes. (Reserve leftover broth.)
• Stir in beets, salt, and pepper(mixture will turn bright pink) and cook, stirring, until heated through. Thin as necessary with some of leftover broth, then stir in cheese and remove from heat.

LEMONY GOLD BEET BARLEY RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Wash and trim the beets, leaving a little of the stems intact so that you do not cut into the beets themselves. Wash the beet leaves and add them to the leafy greens for sautéing. Put the beets in a casserole dish with 3 tablespoons water. Cover tightly and roast until the beets are very tender, about 45 minutes. When cool, pull off and discard the skins and coarsely chop the beets. Put the beets in a bowl and mash them coarsely. Add the zest, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and a dash of salt. Mix well and set aside.
• Pour the stock into a pot and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to a simmer.
• Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, then the onion, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the barley from the soaking water, then add the barley and garlic to the soup pot and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until it has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Ladle a cup of stock into the risotto and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat, adding the stock 1 cup at a time, until the barley is tender. This will take about 30 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the stock to stir into the risotto at the very end.
• When the barley is tender, stir in all but a few tablespoons of the beets and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and fold in 1 cup of the ricotta and the remaining 1/4 cup stock.
• To serve, put a cup of risotto on each plate and spoon a little olive oil on top. Top with the remaining ricotta and the reserved diced beets. Serve with the leafy greens, seasoning with pepper.