What do you do when you’re leaving for a long trip and you need to clean up every fresh ingredient in the fridge? You open it and just hope you have some tasty ingredients for a good pasta or risotto.
This colorful dish really came out randomly, looking at the leftovers and trying to figure out how to finish everything up before going to Italy, for at least a month. I am so proud to say all these flavours worked out amazingly. It’s sweet, savoury, cheesy even if there’s no real cheese in it. We literally fell in love with a “let’s finish all the leftovers” plate.
I used some pre-boiled beets as when we did the grocery last time they did not have fresh ones. I have to say I am not a fan of preboiled beets, but you can’t taste the difference if you prepare them this way, believe me. I am a real beet lover. As for the other ingredients. I just got creative and it worked. perfectly. Try it out and let me know!
“Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart.”
Thomas Fuller
Orange and Beetroot Risotto with Saffron Sauce
Equipment
- Pot with Warm Vegetable Broth
- pot
- sauce pan
- electric blender
Ingredients
- 120 gr Carnaroli Rice or Arborio
- 2 big Cooked Beetroots or 3 Small
- 1 Orange
- 150 ml White Wine
- 500 ml Vegetable Broth or 500 ml Hot Water plus a Stock Cube
- as required Olive Oil
- to taste Salt, Pepper and Thyme
For the Saffron Sauce
- 50 gr Vegan Feta or Vegan Cream Cheese or regular Feta/Cream Cheese
- 5 gr Saffron
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetable broth and keep it warm. Squeeze the orange and let the juice aside. In a pot, warm up some olive oil and toast the rive for about 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the Orange juice and stir until evaporated, then add the wine and do the same.
- Cook the rice for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes and adding the broth whenever it dries out. In the meantime, make a beetroot puree, blending the cooked beetroot with some broth and leave aside.
- Prepare the saffron sauce by warming up the feta or cream cheese on a sauce pan with the saffron. Add a tbsp of water and let it thicken.
- Once the rice is almost cooked, pour the beet puree on it and stir for another couple of minutes, taste and season with salt and pepper ( 2 tsp should be enough). Serve the rice with the saffron sauce on top, some fresh thyme and the orange zest.
I do have a scientific mind, probably it’s the reason why I love to hide in the kitchen and start creating.
My cooking is healthy, fun and colorful… and really tasty!
What are you waiting for? Grab your apron and start creating with me!
