You won't be able to resist today's recipe, because the risotto that Eva, author of Bake-Street , brings us is to die for: it's a delicious and colorful risotto that I'm sure you'll love even if you're not a big fan of beets. It is one of the best risotto recipes due to its peculiar flavor and the original contrast of caramelized hazelnuts. Do not miss it!

Risotto is one of the most traditional dishes of Italian cuisine. Its origin comes from eastern Piedmont, western Lombardy and Verona due to the abundance of rice in these areas.

The key to success to obtain a good risotto is the rice , this is fundamental. There are several types that we can use for this purpose, such as Carnaroli , Arborio or Vialone Nano, for example. These high-quality rices have the ability to absorb liquid and release starch, which will allow us to obtain a very creamy result.

When it comes to cooking with them, they do not all follow the same cooking guidelines. For example, Carnaroli rice is less prone to overcooking, while Vialone Nano cooks for a shorter time and absorbs flavors better.

To prepare this risotto I used Buyer's high iron skillet . Thanks to its base, it is very easy to prepare this type of elaboration in which we need a good distribution of heat as well as height to add broth, stir... not to mention that the food does not adhere to the base.

For this it is very important that the first time we use it we do a good curing. In this video you can see how to do it easily and quickly.

The variant that I leave you with beetroot is simply… spectacular. There are several recipes for beetroot risotto in which they add pureed beetroot. In my case I preferred to add it in small squares, as in this Kraut-Kopf recipe . It is very nice to find small pieces of beetroot together with the rice, it gives a very pleasant soft touch.

Ingredients for a risotto for two people:

• 150g fresh beetroot
• 150 g Carnaroli risotto “Sivaris”
• ½ large or 1 small shallot
• 50g of white wine
• 530 g of a good vegetable broth, if it is homemade better
• 25g creme fraiche
• 25g of butter
• 15 g grated Parmesan
• flake salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 and ½ tablespoons of Trilloliva olive oil
• a pinch of cinnamon powder
• Parmesan flakes to decorate

For the caramelized hazelnuts:

• a handful of hazelnuts
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• zest of ½ orange
• pinch of salt

For the beet petals:

• 1 small fresh beet
• flake salt
• black pepper to taste

De Buyer high iron frying pan , T&G acacia wood board and Pallarès beech wood knife

ELABORATION

We prepare the beet petals:

If you have a dehydrator :

1. With the help of a mandolin , using the thinnest and smoothest blade, cut the beet into slices.
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place the slices in a dehydrator and leave at 70ºC for 6-7 hours.

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can make them in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 70ºC with heat up and down.
2. On a baking tray, lined with parchment paper, place the beet slices in such a way that they do not overlap. Season to taste.
3. We introduce at medium height and leave about 4-5 hours. Before taking them out, taste them to see how crispy they are.

We caramelize the hazelnuts:

1. Place a medium skillet over medium heat.
2. In a mortar , lightly crush the hazelnuts, set aside.
3. Once the pan is hot, add the hazelnuts and toast gently.
4. When they have a light golden color, add the honey, the pinch of salt and the orange zest and leave over medium heat until they caramelize. We will move from time to time to avoid excessive roasting.
5. Once they are caramelized, turn them out onto parchment paper and let them cool completely.

We roast the beetroot for the risotto:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC with heat up and down.
2. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and place on a tray. Introduce at medium height and leave for about 1 hour.
3. If the beet is medium, it will be ready in this time. If it is larger, it may take around 1 hour and 20 minutes. To know if it is ready, we will prick with a fork, it must be tender.
4. We remove and let cool.

We prepare the beetroot risotto:

1. Remove the skin from the beet and cut into small squares, approximately 0.5 cm. We booked.
2. We cut the shallot in brunoise, very small squares, we reserve.
3. In a medium saucepan, pour the vegetable broth and place over medium-high heat. Leave until it reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and reserve.
4. Meanwhile, we place our Buyer's Iron skillet over medium-low heat, pour in the oil and leave until it reaches temperature.
5. Add the cut shallot and poach until transparent in color.
6. Once the shallot is ready, add the rice. We raise to medium heat and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly so that the rice is well impregnated.
7. Add the white wine, stir, and leave until it evaporates. It will take us about 2 minutes.
8. We begin to add the vegetable broth little by little. Pour between 1 and 2 saucepans, slightly covering the rice, and stir constantly. We will not add more broth until the rice has absorbed it.
9. Repeat the process until all the broth is added. It will take us about 20 minutes.
10. When the rice is almost ready, tender on the outside but with a hard point inside, add the diced beetroot.
11. We stir constantly to impregnate all the rice with its vivid and intense color.
12. Add the crème fraîche, butter and grated Parmesan, and stir again until the ingredients are completely homogenized. We remove from the heat.
13. Add the cinnamon, about 1/8 teaspoon, and mix again to distribute evenly. The total cooking time will be around 22-24 minutes.

We serve the risotto.

Once we have the risotto ready, we should not delay in serving it .
We distribute on two plates, decorate with some Parmesan flakes, caramelized hazelnuts and some beet petals.

I can assure you that it is one of the best risottos I have tried to date. Not only is it attractive to the eye thanks to its intense color, but also its flavor is really surprising even if you are not a big fan of beets.

The accompaniment of caramelized hazelnuts with honey and orange provide that crunchy and sweet touch that contrasts very well with the creaminess of the risotto. And the beet petals give it a very apparent appearance, plus they are very good!

In fact, I recommend that you make more of them since you put them on, they can be kept very well in an airtight container and it is a very healthy type of snack.

Give it a try, your stomach will thank you.