Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Risotto

I'm going to be totally upfront and honest here: I'm not a huge fan of goat's cheese. Sure, I'll use it in cooking, like in my Polenta Chips and the likes, but I can't stand drinking goat's milk or eating goat's cheese on crackers. That being said, beetroot and goats cheese is an absolutely rocking combination. And let's face it... I'm sure we all struggle to eat enough red/purple/pink foods. I love the idea of eating the rainbow, and I do give it a good shot. Every little bit of those more difficult pigments certainly helps.

I got home later than I intended to this evening, and the menu plan kind of went out the window. I had to have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes and with little fuss, so I made a delicious beetroot risotto (and yes, over a year after buying my Thermomix, I still love to say "I don't have much time, I better just make a risotto").

Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Risotto

Ingredients:

60g parmesan cheese, cubed

400-500g raw beetroot, peeled and quartered

1 onion, peeled and halved

2 cloves garlic, peeled

50g oil (I used macadamia oil, but extra virgin olive oil is fine)

400g arborio rice

splash of organic, unfiltered ACV (apple cider vinegar)

1L water

2-3 tablespoons veg stock paste

150g chevre or soft goat's cheese
Method
1) Put parmesan in TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds, speed 9. Set aside and wipe bottom of bowl (on the inside).
2) Add beetroot, and pulverise on speed 8 for 5-10 seconds (you may have to stop once or twice to scrape down the sides). You basically want a rough, raw beetroot puree.
3) Add onion and garlic (keep beetroot in bowl), chop on speed 6 for 3-4 seconds.
4) Add oil and saute on 100 degrees for 4-5 minutes on speed 2 with MC off. Time will depend on how much beetroot you used and how cold your ingredients were. You want the temp to have reached 100 degrees before you move on to the next step.
5) Add rice and ACV. Saute for 3 minutes on 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1.
6) Add water and stock paste. Cook for 16 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1.
7) While risotto is cooking, cut the goat's cheese into 1cm cubes.
8) Once the risotto is finished cooking, pour into a thermoserver and leave to stand for up to 5 mins if necessary. When ready to serve, stir through the cubed goat's cheese, serve onto plates, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.


Even my almost 4 yr old loves this one. Enjoy! :)