Wintertime calls for hearty colorful foods like this risotto enriched with the tangy taste of goat and gorgonzola cheeses and the vivid color of beetroots.
On those long weekends when the weather is too cold and the snow falls and we are drawn towards the couch and our cell phones pretending to be social, the desire to make this delicious yet simple dish rises slowly but steadily until we leave the comfort of our seat to finally submit to the craving. This recipe is inspired by an Italian chef, Enrico Bartolini. He is the first chef in Michelin Guide history to have received four stars at the same time, including two for his eponymous restaurant in Milan’s MUDEC Museum of Cultures.
How to make Risotto with beetroot, goat, and gorgonzola cheese cream sauce.
You first need to make the vegetable broth by adding 2 liters of water, one medium yellow onion, one stalk of celery, one carrot, parsley, and two beetroots. They need to boil for 35 minutes and then you can filter out the broth and put it back on the stove with low heat.
Cut one medium shallot and place those pieces in the pan with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 oz. of unsalted butter, add a bit of salt and let them soften over a low flame.
After a few minutes, you can add a 1/4 cup of broth and continue to cook it to further soften the onion without burning it. When the broth almost evaporates you can add 8 oz of Arborio rice that you previously washed in cold water and then drained. Stir the rice and mix it with the onion and the fats. You can add half a glass of dry white wine if you desire… Mix and let the alcohol evaporate, then add the broth little by little until the rice is cooked.
To prepare the cream mix 4oz of goat cheese, 2oz of gorgonzola, and 25ml of milk or half and half, on low heat mix and let them melt. You can filter this cream or leave it as is.
Risotto with Beetroots, goat, and Gorgonzola Cheese Cream Sauce.
Ingredients
- Arborio rice 8oz
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 oz +1 oz butter
- 30 g grated Grana Padano cheese
- 1/2 shallot chopped into tiny bits
- ½ glass of dry white wine
Vegetable broth
- 2 Lt water 8 cups
- 2 beetroots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 carrot
- a sprig of parsley
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Goat and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Goat cheese 4 oz
- Gorgonzola cheese 2 oz
- 50 ml milk or half and half 1/4 cup
Instructions
Vegetable Broth
- Heat the olive oil in a stock pot.
- Cook for 5 minutes after adding the peeled veggies.
- After that, pour in 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a low heat and cover the pot.
- Simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent too much liquid from boiling away.
- Strain the vegetable broth and return it to a low heat setting on the burner.
Goat and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Place a heavy skillet over medium heat
- Pour cream into skillet, add the goat and gorgonzola cheeses.
- Cook until cheeses are melted and sauce reaches desired consistency
Risotto
- In the large pot, heat the oil and butter over moderately low heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
- Add ¼ of broth and continue to cook until it evaporates and the onion becomes soft and red.
- Add the washed and drained rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine until all of it has been absorbed.
- Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and cook, stirring frequently, until it has been absorbed.
- Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup.
- Cook the rice in this way adding little by little the broth until tender, 25 minutes in all.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Allow the risotto to rest for at least 2 minutes after adding the grated Grana Padano cheese, and butter.
- Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and top with the cheese sauce.
- Serve with chopped fresh parsley as a garnish.
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