Mushroom Risotto with Beet Salad

Mushroom Risotto with Beet-Jewel Salad

(Based on 4 servings)

Ever since I can remember, my father always cooked beets for us as kids. He used to say: “If something from the ground is this colourful, it HAS to be good for you!”  He often refers to beets as, ‘Coloured jewels.’ Beets are incredibly easy to make and taste so sweet...naturally! They compliment the creamy, ‘meaty’ richness of the mushroom risotto. 

What you need:

2 c Arborio rice
1.5 c Onions (finely chopped)

3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
¼ cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)

½ cup of Parmesan, Romano or Pecorino-Romano grated cheese

¼ cup of butter

5-6 cups of boiling water

1 cube of vegetable stock

1.5 c of mushrooms (oyster, shiitake and cremona)

4 Portobello mushroom caps

Parsley for dressing

How to make it happen:

1. Prepare a kettle and boil 5-6 cups of water and mix in a medium pot with vegetable stock. (Or whatever stock you wish). Blend mixture together.

2. Next, combine the onions and garlic together in a large sauce pan or wok and on medium heat, sauté with olive oil until they become translucent.

3. Add Arborio rice to the onions and garlic.  Ensure to cook the rice for a few minutes, stirring and coating rice with the onions and garlic. Add dry white wine to the mixture.  Stir until the white wine is absorbed by the rice.

4. Wash and roughly chop mushrooms and place in a frying pan with salt, pepper, olive oil and chopped garlic. Cover the frying pan with a lid in order to keep the moisture in. Steam the mushrooms on medium heat for 12-15 minutes.

5. Wash the portobello mushroom caps and remove the stems (The stems can be cut up and cooked with the chopped mushrooms). Place whole portobello caps in a separate frying pan and add salt, pepper, olive oil and chopped garlic.  Cover the frying pan with a lid and steam the mushrooms on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.  

6. Place the prepared stock close to the pot of rice. Ladle 1-2 spoonfuls of stock into the rice mixture and stir together until the liquid is absorbed. Continue ladling the stock into the rice, pouring 1-2 spoonfuls at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Continue until the stock is finished and the rice becomes thick and creamy.  You do not want to CHOKE or RUSH this process.  Let the rice absorb the liquid in small quantities before adding more stock.  This takes time so be prepared!

7. Once all of the stock is absorbed, add the steamed mushrooms (except the portobello caps), butter and grated cheese. Stir until all of the ingredients are combined together.

 
8. Gently place the portobello mushroom caps separately on a plate and add the mushroom risotto on top. Sprinkle parsley and grated cheese as desired and drizzle with olive oil.

Beet- Jewel Salad

What you need:

4 medium beats (purple and orange)

1 clove of uncooked garlic (finely chopped)

1 pinch of coarse sea salt

1 pinch of black ground pepper

1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

How to make it happen:

1. Remove stems off beets and cut into uniform sizes (this helps beets cook evenly).

2. Boil the beets in water and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until soft.

3. Once beets have cooked, place in a strainer until they cool and peel off the outer skin. Be careful, beets stain!

4. Once the beets are all peeled, chop them into bite sized pieces and dress with salt, pepper, olive oil and uncooked garlic. Toss together and plate beside the risotto.