Beetroot Risotto and Steamed Kale

For ages I always avoided using basmati rice for risotto as it's not the proper way of doing things. However I once had to use it and discovered that while it takes longer to cook, it gives a delightful nutty taste to the risotto.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely chopped


• 1 stick celery, finely sliced


• 35g butter


• 400g basmati rice


• 800ml vegetable stock


• 400ml white wine


• 4 beetroots, peeled and cut into short strips


• 10 large kale leaves, cut into inch wide strips


• 20g butter, sliced

Method:

1. Use the 35g of butter to fry the celery and onion in a large pan until soft.


2. Stir in the rice until you get a good coating of butter all over it.


3. Add the beetroot and stir well.


4. Add the stock and white wine and leave to simmer for 40 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to make sure it doesn't stick on the bottom. If it starts to look dry then add some more water or wine.


5. Place the kale in a steamer and top with the 20g of butter. Make sure you use a small amount of water in the steamer as we'll use it later as a gravy for the kale.


6. Steam the kale for 20 minutes.


7. When the kale is done transfer it to a serving bowl and cover with the liquid from the bottom of the steamer. This gives a wonderful stocky but thin gravy around the kale.

Serves 6, but aim for 4 so that you can use the leftover risotto to make risotto balls. I'll post the recipe for risotto balls next time.