Frugal food - Beetroot top risotto

Beetroots are scrumptious added to a roast chicken dinner.  They are delicious roasted in a little olive oil with carrots, parsnips, par-boiled potatoes, red onion, peppers, lemon and garlic, sea salt and crushed black pepper and maybe a few herbs or chilli flakes...mmm...a feast...

When the beets are nice and small I love to use the leaves in salads...they look so pretty and I hate to waste them when using the roots. But they are getting bigger now and the leaves are a bit tough for salads.  I couldn't bare to throw them away and so I made a risotto supper with them the following evening.     

It really was a simple supper using a few store cupboard ingredients.

• Wash the beetroot tops (leaves and stalks) thoroughly and cut into pieces.
• Place in a saucepan, cover with vegetable stock and cook until tender.
• Remove the tops when cooked and reserve both the stock, and tops for later.
• Meanwhile slice a small red onion and sauté until soft.
• Add a crushed garlic clove and cook a little while longer.
• Add a cup of risotto rice and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Gradually add stock until the rice is ready, adding the beetroot tops in the last few minutes.
• Add plenty of grated parmesan cheese
• Check the seasoning...you may not need to add any salt or pepper if the stock is well seasoned as the Parmesan is quite salty too.
• Enjoy

 If you like spinach or chard I'm sure you'll love this risotto...

Thanks B for all the little seedlings you gave us in spring...