Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese, Honey and Truffle Oil

The earthy sweetness of beets provides the perfect (colorful) backdrop for a decadent risotto, topped with goat cheese, honey and truffle oil.

I’m a sucker for beets. Roasted cubes, shredded raw, whatever way you’re serving them, I’ll have seconds. Maybe even thirds. While some people dislike beets (why?!), I’m convinced this silky, rich, and earthy beet risotto with goat cheese, honey and truffle oil will convert all the beet-haters in the world.

This recipe is so easy, there’s no reason to go out when you can whip up a whole pot in your PJs with minimal effort. Start with some fresh beets. I wouldn’t use the pre-cooked vacuum sealed packs for this risotto since we are going to cook down the beets with the rice. Your store might have pre-shredded packs of beets, but if they don’t, grab a bunch of raw beets from the produce section. If you’re feeling fancy, grab the golden ones instead of the traditional red. Personally, I love the deep red color and always gravitate towards them.

vertical pictures

Now let’s talk about the backbone of our beet risotto, rice. I usually use brown jasmine rice for all our rice dishes, but for risotto, I prefer to stick to the traditional arborio variety. Arborio rice has more up its sleeve than the Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) label. While it’s only grown in the town of Arborio in the Po Valley, it also has an unusually high starch content. This lends risotto its famed creamy texture. Technically, we want a rice with a high amylopectin level as this particular starch breaks down easily and creates a “stickiness” conducive to building up a saucy texture. If you use a rice with a higher amylose level, think jasmine or basmati, it will cook up firm and discrete.

Preparing your beets for our beet risotto is where it gets a little messy. As you can imagine, beet juice stains. Badly. If you have a nice wooden cutting board, it probably best to stow that away for this task. Instead, I use my plastic cutting board and snap on a pair of disposable rubber gloves. You don’t need gloves, but I don’t like have purple and pink hands for days after handling beets! They make cleanup quick and easy. And make sure to put on an apron too. Usually, I get away without wearing one while cooking, but beet juice will spatter and once it hits your favorite white sweater, say goodbye. Peel the beets and grate them on a large box grater. The shaggy texture will almost melt into the risotto so you won’t find chunks of beets once done cooking. If you have a food processor or a mandolin with a fine matchstick setting, those would work too. Dice up your shallot and garlic as well.

vertical pictures

Risotto is a little more involved than letting the rice simmer on the stove or plopping the rice into the rice cooker (how Asians make rice). We need to have a pot of hot stock to constantly stir into the risotto. To keep the beet risotto vegetarian, we can stick to vegetable stock. If you only have chicken stock, that would work too, but I would stay away from beef or seafood stock as the flavors are overpowering. Just keep a small stockpot on low heat so your stock stays hot during the risotto making process.

There are three main steps for making the beet risotto, but they are very easy and intuitive. Only the third step is unique and requires a little bit of elbow grease.

Soffrito, Tostatura, Cottura – Three Steps to Making Risotto

A soffrito is the base of many Italian recipes, especially for sauces and risotto. Start by sautéing your shallot and garlic in a generous amount of oil or butter until aromatic.
Add in the rice and shredded beets and toast until the grains of rice are slightly translucent at the edges but opaque in the center. This is known as tostatura. You’ll be able to smell the rice and should see them beginning to take on a magenta color from the beets. It’s essential that you have enough fat in the pot to completely coat every grain, so add a little more butter or oil in to make it happen. Go on, don’t be shy!
Now comes the unique risotto technique. Cottura refers to the way we incorporate liquid to the risotto. Instead of pouring in all the liquid at once, we add in the hot liquid one ladle at a time. Between ladles, stirring encourages absorption ensures the rice releases its starch to create the definitive creamy sauce. Only add in more liquid once the previous one is absorbed.

vertical pictures

While some say that the stirring is not necessary for risotto, I find that the no-stir methods turn out more of a casserole type rice dish or a pilaf than a silky smooth risotto. Stirring in ladles of hot stock isn’t a massive strain and I think it’s totally worth the 10-12 minutes spent standing. It’s not a strenuous activity; most people just find it boring. But if you’re all about minimizing kitchen work, you can try this no-stir risotto and method from the illustrious Ina Garten.

Once your rice has soaked up all of the hot broth and is tender on the outside but still maintains a good bite at the center, it’s time to take it off the stove. Serve piping hot and top with goat cheese crumbles, a drizzle of honey, and a couple drops of truffle oil. Of course, if you are fancy enough to get your paws on real truffles, by all means, shave some of that baby on top. But for those of us who don’t have any, truffle oil is a close second. If you have some fresh thyme left over, garnish with some leaves or small sprigs for a stunning color contrast.

Beet-Risotto-43

vertical pictures

How to Make Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese, Honey and Truffle Oil

Preparing the Ingredients

Prepare Beets:
- Peel the beets and grate them using the large holes of a box grater. Wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.
Prepare Stock:
- In a small pot, bring the chicken or vegetable stock to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer to keep it hot.

Cooking the Risotto

Sauté Aromatics:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced shallot and minced garlic, cooking until translucent and aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.
Toast Rice and Beets:
- Add the Arborio rice and grated beets to the pot. Stir to coat with oil and toast for about 1 minute.
Begin Adding Broth:
- Add a couple of ladles of hot broth to just cover the rice. Stir frequently, allowing the rice to absorb the broth before adding more. Continue this process, adding broth gradually, until the rice is al dente and creamy, about 20-25 minutes.
Finishing Touches:
- Once the risotto is nearly done, stir in the butter until melted and incorporated.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Plating and Serving

Serve the Risotto:
- Spoon the risotto into bowls. Top each serving with goat cheese crumbles.
- Drizzle honey and truffle oil over each serving to enhance the flavors.
- Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.

Recipe Notes

Beet Staining: Beets will stain, so use a plastic or glass cutting board, wear an apron and disposable gloves.
Broth Temperature: Keep the broth simmering on a separate burner to ensure it integrates well when added to the rice.
Stirring Frequently: For the creamiest texture, stir the risotto frequently throughout cooking.

Beet Risotto Recipe with Goat Cheese and Truffle Oil