Beetroot risotto

Breakfast
Kids: toast with peanut butter
Me: coconut chicken soup

Lunch
Pies from the market and salad from the garden. I was feeling idle!

Dinner

Beetroot risotto (aka 'pink rice'!)
14 oz raw beetroot, peeled and chopped into small chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 oz butter
14 oz Arborio rice
3 cloves garlic
2 pt stock, kept hot
2 fl oz vodka or dry sherry (I often leave this out as I don't have either)
Juice of half a lemon, plus a good pinch of zest (I use a bit more lemon juice if not adding vodka)
3 1/2 oz Parmesan, grated
1 tbsp parsley
4 tbsp Greek yogurt or creme fraiche (optional)

Melt the butter and fry the onion gently until transparent. Add the beetroot and continue to fry (stirring) for about 10 minutes. Add the rice and finely chopped garlic and fry for a moment or two more until the rice is starting to cook and go a little transparent at the edges. Start adding the hot stock, a ladle full at a time. Stir in each addition and wait for it to be absorbed before adding the next. Keep at this for about 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and creamy and the beetroot is soft (it can have just a little bite left to it for texture). Add the vodka and lemon juice and half the cheese. Stir in and let the risotto sit with a lid on for a few minutes to rest.
You can use a little bit of left over stock or boiling water at this stage, if the risotto is not oozing and delicious. Serve it topped with the rest of the cheese, the parsley and the yogurt, if using.

This is a great dish - bright fuschia and really tasty. It comes from 'the Cranks bible'. Just right for brightening up a dull horrible day like today.