Beetroot Orzo Risotto with Ginger

Creamy and delicious orzo risotto, cooked with full of vitamins beets and ginger. 

I've been into healthy eating lately.Freshly pressed juices became my daily routine. Glass of mixed vegetable and fruit juice is a great to start of your day (...still need my coffee). My favorite mix is glorious sweet beets, pomegranate and orange. And here where my beetroot story starts. I bough way too many, you don't need more that one beetroot for a glass of juice, they quite strong in flavor, so I've been eating them every day for about a week now! In salads, sandwiches, juiced, raw, pickled...etc. etc.

Belonging to the same family as chard and spinach, beetroot is low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals and packed with powerful antioxidants.

One of my tastiest beetroot creations was orzo risotto with fresh ginger. I used coarsely grated beets to make the "risotto" and fresh beetroot juice instead of stock. It had a beautiful ruby red color and fantastic taste, addiction of fresh ginger root made the dish more interesting.

Beetroot Orzo Risotto with Ginger

serves 2

1 cup freshly pressed beetroot juice

500 ml vegetable stock

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion

1 medium beetroot, coarsely grated

2 tbsp fresh ginger root, finely grated

150 g Emmer wheat orzo pasta (any other orzo will be fine too)

60 ml white wine

zest of one lemon

about 60 g parmesan cheese, grated (vegetable cheese or cream for vegetarian option)

salt and paper to taste

Method :

1. Mix the beetroot juice and stock in a medium saucepan, bring to boil and then turn down to a simmer. Keep it hot.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan, add the onion and cook until soft but not colored, add ginger and grated beetroot, and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the orzo pasta and stir very well to coat every "grain" , cook about a minute. Add white wine. Keep stirring gently until the wine cooks into the orzo.

4. Add first 1/2 cup of hot stock, turn down the heat to a simmer so the orzo doesn't cook too quickly. Keep adding stock, 1/2 cup each time, stirring very gently and allowing each part to be absorbed before adding the next.

5. Carry on adding stock until the orzo is cooked into your liking. Check the seasoning. If you run out of stock before your orzo is cooked you can always use hot water instead. Sometimes I use only water.

6. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan cheese. Stir well, cover the pan with lid and allow to sit for about 2 minutes. If you are using veggie cream, stir into your orzo 5 minutes before the of cooking.

7. Server as soon as possible, while the "risotto" is creamy and hot.