Beetroot, walnut and sage risotto

So I know this is bit of a weird recipe to come up with in the middle of July, but I am bringing tonnes of beautiful big beetroot bulbs home from the allotment these days, and have found myself needing to get pretty creative with how I cook it! Also, I have been experimenting with using the leaves too, which have a lovely rich, nutty, buttery flavour, not unlike spinach but much much tastier, so I  really recommend you buy your beetroot with green bits intact ;)

In this recipe I have combined some of my all time favourite ingredients: strong farmhouse cheddar, (Cork made Hegartys cheddar, best cheddar in Ireland in my opinion), walnuts and natural yoghurt to create a simple, hearty and incredibly comforting dish, lovely for anytime of year!

Ingredients (serves 6);

1 1/2 cups risotto/arborio rice

3-4 beetroot, peeled and cut into small cubes

Beetroot leaves (optional), roughly chopped

4-5 cups chicken stock

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, diced

1 tbs lemon juice

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 generous tsp sweet paprika

3-4 sage leaves, chopped

2 cups mature farmhouse cheddar, grated

salt and pepper

sour cream or natural yoghurt for garnish

Method;

* Fry onion in butter or oil until golden, add garlic and beetroot and saute for 2-3 mins.

* Add rice, paprika, lemon juice and gradually add chicken stock one cup at a time until the beetroot is soft and the rice soft but with a slight bite.

* Season well with salt and pepper.

*Add beetroot leaves, walnuts, sage and cheddar and cook for another minute or two until the leaves have wilted.

* Serve with a spoon of yoghurt or sour cream

Enjoy :)