Red Rice and Beetroot Risotto

Red Rice and Beetroot Risotto

This might take a little more time than a normal risotto but my oh my, doesn’t it taste delicious? The vibrancy of the red rice along with the juice from the beetroot (beet) makes this dish look so beautiful.

serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

180g (6oz/scant 1 cup) Camargue red rice

600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) hot vegetable stock, made with 1 tbsp bouillon powder

160g (5 1/2oz) beetroot (beet), cut into chunks

1 handful of parsley, chopped

100g (3 1/2oz) feta

Heat the olive oil in a wide-bottomed pan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened.Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to coat the rice in oil, then reduce the heat and stir in 2 large ladlefuls of stock. Simmer, stirring gently, over a low heat until the rice has absorbed the stock, then continue adding the stock a ladleful at a time and stirring gently until it is absorbed before adding another ladleful.

After 10 minutes of cooking, add the beetroot (beet) chunks. After 25 minutes, add most of the chopped parsley, then continue to add the stock until the rice is cooked but al dente – this will take 30–40 minutes. At the last minute, stir in most of the feta to make the risotto wonderfully creamy.

Serve garnished with the remaining feta and chopped parsley.