Parmesan and Beet Love Risotto!

Who cares if Valentine’s day was a week ago! Love is always around you! So surprise someone you love with this gorgeous risotto. It is not only tasty but it is also a very sexy dish. Michael made this for me a few months ago, and we added the touch of the beet hearts. You will be sure to love this parmesan and beet risotto.

xoxo

Ingredients: serves 6-8

2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
¼ cup parmesan reggiano
2 medium beets
1 Tablespoon olive oil

To start preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and coat you beets in olive oil. Create a pouch out of tinfoil and place your beets in it, and stick in oven for 50 minutes to an hour. Your beets will be done once you can easily pierce them with a fork. Take the beets out, let them cool, and peel the outer rough skin off with your fingers under running water. Slice the beets into ¼” slices. Take about ½ of one beet and dice, set aside. Take the rest of the slices, and cut heart shapes out and set aside to lay on top of risotto.

Grate parmesan and set aside.

In a medium sized pot heat the Tablespoon of oil on medium high heat, add the Arborio rice, and stir, cooking for about 7 minutes. This allows the rice to soak up some of the olive oil flavor, and will allow the rice to cook a little faster. Add all the stock and 2 cups water and cover the pot until the liquid starts boiling. Once it reaches a boil, leave on medium high heat and start stirring frequently until the rice absorbs the liquid. Once it is absorbed, add the remainder of the water in quarter cups allowing the rice to absorb the liquid and repeat. Do this until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

**If you need to you can add more liquid. You will know the risotto is done when the rice has a slight al dente feel to it, but is really creamy. It is a frequent mistake to either not cook it enough so it is hard, or overcook and it is mushy.**

Next add the parmesan and diced beets and stir until the cheese has melted and the pink of the beets has colored all of the risotto.

To serve, place a heaping spoonful of risotto onto a plate and lay two hearts over each other! Tada! Now that is true love!!