by Mark Diacono from Vegetables (Quadrille)
Photography © Mark Diacono
For every ‘excellent’ idea that you can’t quite nail as you’d like (yes, I’m talking about you, rhubarb curry), there is another that rewards the dedication of repeated tweaks. This, friends, is the oval intersect in the Venn diagram of beetroot risotto and chocolate beetroot brownie. You could, of course, make this without the beetroot and it would be deeply pleasurable, but beetroot’s sweetness and gentle earthiness accentuates and anchors the sweeter elements of this, as it all but dissolves into the milk. It acts as much as a spice than anything.
If you fancy, sprinkle with the light brown sugar and flash this under a hot grill until a bubbling, lightly brown skin forms.
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g (10oz) beetroot (beet), peeled and grated
zest of 1 orange, half pared, half finely grated
2 long sprigs of rosemary
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 bay leaf, cracked
700ml (1 1⁄2 pints) milk
160g (5 1⁄2oz) arborio rice, washed
45g (1 3⁄4oz) caster (superfine) sugar
20g (3⁄4oz) butter
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
a little double (heavy) cream, to swirl
Method
Put the beetroot, pared orange zest, rosemary, cardamom, bay leaf and milk in
a large pan and bring to a simmer. Add the rice, stir, and bring back up to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. It should take 25–35 minutes for the rice to cook and the beetroot to all but dissolve. Stir in the caster sugar, then the butter and add a touch more milk if needed.
To serve, sprinkle with the brown sugar, grated orange zest and cocoa powder and swirl with cream.
VEGAN: Use plant-based cream, milk and butter.
GF: Yes.
SEASONAL SWAPS: Parsnip works really well in place of the beetroot and
I’m fairly sure sweet potato would work beautifully. My guess is that celeriac and Jerusalem artichoke would too, perhaps with lemon thyme rather than rosemary. Do let me know if you try either.
Drinks tasted on air alongside the dish.
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