Beet & Corn Risotto

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.

Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, cut them into pieces and place them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Roast the beets for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and add the corn (and lemon slices if desired, for garnish) to the baking sheet. Roast for an additional 25 minutes or until the beets are tender. Once cooked, let cool slightly.

While the beets and corn roast, heat the chicken broth in a small saucepan until hot.

In a separate large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the rice and toast for about 2 minutes, stirring often.

Reduce heat to low. Add 1 cup hot broth to rice, stirring often until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1 cup of broth at a time and stirring until the liquid is absorbed between each addition. Stop adding broth when it no longer seems to be absorbed by the rice.

Add the beets to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add the beet puree to the cooked rice with the corn, thyme, lemon juice, salt, pepper and parmesan.

Sauté over low heat for 3-4 minutes until heated through. Garnish with lemon slices and grated parmesan.

Remarks:
1. You can use any type of broth in place of chicken broth, although I think it goes well with thyme.
2. I made this recipe with fresh beets but I suspect it would work with canned beets too. If using canned beets, drain and puree the beets and add them directly to the rice (you can skip the roasting step).
3. We ate this with grilled chicken and it was delicious!