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 :)
