Black and Arborio Risotto With Beets and Beet Greens
Updated Feb. 8, 2023
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1cup black rice, like Lundberg Black Japonica or Forbidden Rice, cooked (3 cups cooked black rice)
- 1quart chicken or vegetable stock, as needed
- 1bunch beet greens, stemmed and washed
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½cup finely chopped onion
- ⅔cup arborio rice
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- ½cup dry white wine
- ¾pound beets (1 bunch small), roasted, skinned and diced
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 to 2ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¼ to ½ cup, to taste, optional)
- 2tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
296 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 787 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
To cook the black rice, combine with 2 cups water in a saucepan, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Remove from the heat, remove the lid from the pan and place a dish towel over the pan, then return the lid. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Season well and turn the heat to low. Stack the stemmed, washed greens and cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips.
- Step 3
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick frying pan or wide, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes, and add the rice and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle, about 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The wine should bubble, but not too quickly. You want some of the flavor to cook into the rice before it evaporates. When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock (about ½ cup), enough to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly (adjust heat accordingly). Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, for 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Stir in the greens, the diced beets and black rice and continue adding more stock, enough to barely cover the rice, and stirring often, for another 10 to 15 minutes. The arborio rice should be chewy but not hard in the middle – and definitely not soft like steamed rice. If it is still hard in the middle, you need to continue adding stock and stirring for another 5 minutes or so. Now is the time to ascertain if there is enough salt. Add if necessary.
- Step 6
When the rice is cooked through, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and stir in another ladleful of stock, the Parmesan and the parsley. Remove from the heat. The risotto should be creamy; if it isn’t, add a little more stock. Stir once, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.
- Advance preparation: The cooked black rice freezes well for a month and will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. The roasted beets will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. You can blanch the greens ahead and stir them into the risotto toward the end of cooking. You can make this through Step 4 several hours ahead. Remove from the heat and spread the rice out in a thin layer in the pan. When ready to finish the dish, reheat with more stock and proceed with the recipe.
Private Notes
Comments
This is fantastic. As low-fodmap eater, I had to replace the garlic and onion with chives and scallion greens-- and I suspect this might be a worthwhile substitution for anyone to try with this dish: the flavors were deep, earthy, clean, and true. I loved it, my friends loved it: and my 9 year old son asked when we could have it again.
This was good, not great. I like to use the beet greens so I tried it and found the recipe took more time than it was worth. I really love beets and thought they were lost in this "concoction."
I added dried sage and dried thyme in the early stages of frying the onion and the rice. The earthy beets and greens needed some brightening up. I really like this dish. I have made it before and will make it again.
Beautiful and hearty vegetarian meal, per comments I made a few modifcationsm (below) but otherwise followed process sets. A new FAVORITE fall dish! Added fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme at the garlic step along with few shakes of the same dried herbs for some depth. Black rice wasn't available to me, so substituted a red, purple and brown blend. Finished with parsley, lemon zest, and crumbled goat cheese.
Visually stunning but lacking on depth and flavor. I drizzled balsamic over it as per another recommendation and that brightened it up. Thr parsley is necessary and I would consider using another fresh herb if I made it again.
This is a way to use beets when you have them and are tired of all your other beet dishes. I followed the suggestions for thyme and some lemon juice and that perked it up. I will try feta next time, too. Love the mix of black rice and Arborio—really, really nice.