Cuisine – Beetroot and fennel risotto

The wonderful beetroot does not really enjoy the popularity it deserves. It is a truly versatile and delicious vegetable with proven health advantages. It can be steamed, boiled, baked, grated and eaten raw, and always provides startingly attractive colour to salads and any dish it appears in.

When I first shopped at markets when I lived in Paris, I was astonished to see the vegetable stall holders always sold their beetroot ready cooked. I guess it saved time as a whole beetroot, with its dense flesh, seems take to take an age to cook. The test is to poke a skewer through and there should be no resistance if it is well cooked. Recently, our supermarkets here have started offering beetroot peeled and cooked in handy packs, joining the range of ready to heat and eat foods.

The late Dr Michael Mosley advocated, in one of his last excellent television series, including beetroot to the daily diet of folk who were overweight with many associated health problems. The result of adding this vegetable (along with a change in eating habits) showed remarkable results in blood tests, along with the desired weight loss. It is a truly documented liver cleanser.

Another frequent and amusing use of beetroot is in a hamburger. I suspect this is a very Kiwi thing as it’s rare to find beetroot in the USA, the home of hamburgers. Not so attractive are beetroot sandwiches. That dark purple colour stains the bread if it sits around for any length of time, so try to make such sandwiches at the very last minute.

Roasting beetroot brings out the natural sugars, but if you’re cooking them it’s best to peel them after they’re cooked as the colour can run. Beware to wear rubber gloves to remove the skin as they can stain your hands and nails. They are just about to hit peak season and do try beetroot in other colours if you see them. The golden beetroot has become rather popular and makes a nice change, along with striped and white beetroot, or Chioggia as they are officially named.

This risotto is delicious. Great to serve with roast chicken or pan-fried fish, as it is full of flavour. By adding beans (or any other green vegetable) the risotto becomes a one dish accompaniment to your meal. As with all dishes involving beetroot, be sure to cook the beetroot thoroughly (in this case before you add the rice.) And do seek out arborio rice, grown in Italy and readily available. It is stronger than most rice varieties and absorbs the flavours well while maintaining its structure.

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Beetroot and fennel risotto

1 cup arborio rice
4 tbsp olive oil
1 bulb fennel, chopped finely
1 large beetroot, grated
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
3 cups good quality chicken or vegetable stock
200g tender green beans
Small bunch mint or parsley, chopped
1 lime or lemon

Place the rice in a sieve and run cold water from the tap through for one minute to wash any excess starch off. Put aside to drain while you prepare the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and add the chopped fennel and cook over a low heat until it softens.

Add the grated beetroot and the cumin and continue to cook for at least 10 minutes over a low heat until it is soft and thoroughly cooked through.

Meanwhile, blanch the beans in plenty of salty water, drain and keep aside.

Put the stock in another saucepan to heat to simmering point and turn down to keep hot but not bubbling.

Now add the rice to the beetroot and fennel, stirring continuously for 2 or 3 minutes while the rice starts to cook. Turn up the heat and using a ladle, add large spoonfuls of the stock, continuing to stir all the time. Add more spoonfuls as the rice absorbs the liquid, and do this until the rice is cooked and the risotto is moist but not runny. If you run out of stock add a little extra boiling water. This process should take about 13 to 15 minutes.

Once cooked, taste the risotto and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper if needed. To finish, fold in the cooked beans and chopped herbs with the juice of a lime or lemon.

Serves 4, but can be scaled up or doubled.

Note: Your risotto, when cooked, will hold the heat for about 10 minutes if covered and held in a warm place.

To serve, top with fried crispy skin snapper, roast chicken legs, or slices of steak or lamb, and extra herbs or sprouts.

For a vegetarian meal, top with cubes of salty feta cheese.