Beetroot and Pea Risotto with Mint and Feta is the first main course dish that I have cooked from Dale Pinnock’s book, The Medicinal Chef, and I have to warn you that it is not for the faint hearted, however if you love beetroot, then please read on, as this dish was made for you.

I absolutely adore beetroot, but I understand than it is one of those things in life that has a love/hate following, when you love it like I do, its true love, to the point that when the beetroot was cooked and cooled for this recipe ready for peeling and chopping, I could of just picked it up an eaten it like an apple. I love the earthy smell, the amazing deep vibrant colour, the taste and knowing that with every bite you take you feel that in some way this little root vegetable is doing you good.

This recipe is great for bloating, constipation and for anyone who suffers with Crohn’s disease. Beetroot is great for high blood pressure as it is very high in natural nitrates, a type of mineral salt, this is converted by the body into nitric oxide which is naturally produced to regulate blood pressure, also great for liver health, betacyanin, the part that gives beetroot its amazing purple colour, can be of benefit to liver function, its pretty amazing just how clever this little purple fellow is. A beetroot smoothie would be the perfect cure for any hangover!

Serious facts aside I think this would be a fun dish to serve as a starter at an adult theme Halloween dinner party or because of the colour a lovely Valentine’s dish, but I do understand that for some the colour may be a little off putting ! The recipe in the book served 2 to 3 people, so I have doubled the measurements below to fit in with my Brood, but make just what you need and remember if you are making this for a starter it will go twice as far.

So if like me you love beetroot and soon hopefully some of us will be pulling up loads of the stuff from our gardens and allotments, give this recipe ago, just remember to warn young children of the side affects when going to the toilet after eating beetroot, we don’t want to scare the life out of them 😉

Buon appetito

Serve 4 – 6

Olive Oil, for cooking
2 large red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g arborio risotto rice
600g cooked beetroot, cubed (little trick that I learnt is to leave a little of the stalks and root on whilst cooking and the beetroot doesn’t bleed so much)
2 litre low salt vegetable stock (I use Kallo Organic very low salt vegetable stock cubes)
400g frozen garden peas (use fresh if you have them in the garden or when in season, they are so delicious)
Large handful fresh mint, finely chopped
400g feta cheese (this is rather a lot, so we used just one 200g packet, but more would of been nicer)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4 to 5minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the rice and cook for another minute, just coating it in all those gorgeous flavours and the oil. Add most of the beetroot, reserving a little for later.

Add the vegetable stock little by little, until the rice is soft and just tender, stirring frequently, this normally takes about 30 minutes, don’t rush this part, you do not want uncooked chewy rice. It should be soft and moist, but not too liquid. Season with the sea salt and pepper.

When the rice is almost cooked, add the peas and mint, cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the remaining beetroot in a small food processor and process to a coarse puree. Add the puree to the finished risotto, stir well and serve on warm plates. Crumble some feta over each one.

Serve with crusty brown bread rolls and some fresh pea shoots.

Note : I cooked my beetroot for a couple of dishes that I am making this week one morning whilst baking a cake, it made sense to get a head whilst in the kitchen and meant that the beetroot was ready chopped and pureed for both dishes making my life a lot easier when I came to cook. To cook the beetroot I trimmed off the leaves, leaving the root and a little of the stalks, dropped them into a pan of boiling water and simmered until soft, depending on the size of your beetroot 20 to 30 minutes. Just poke them with a sharp knife to see if they are cooked. Drain, leave to cool and then wearing some plastic gloves that I got Hubby to pinch from the garage I peeled them, chopped, pureed and left them on the side until I needed them.