Beet and Cheese Risotto

I made this risotto for dinner last night with the kids, who stood beside me on their stools, enthralled with the pinkness of the beets and how quickly the rice turned red. Whether they liked it for the taste or because of their role in stirring the risotto, they licked their plates clean (Margot's hand in the picture at left).


INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

1 medium beet, peeled and quartered
2 cups loosely packed beet greens, stems trimmed
2 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup arborio rice
8 ounces shredded cheese (2 cups) - - we used the shredded Mozarella and Provolone we had in the fridge, but I'm sure anything from Cheddar to Parmesan works
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

PREPARATION:

Place the beet in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the beet greens and pulse until finely chopped.

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and vegetable broth to a simmer. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the beets and beet greens and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth to the large saucepan, 1 cup at a time, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the liquid is nearly absorbed between additions, 20 minutes. Add the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until the risotto is creamy and thick, 3 minutes longer.

The recipe comes from Food and Wine and was apparently developed by a 6 year old... that's a lot of culinary wisdom at a young age!

Provencal Tomato Soup with Rice

Great soup. So good I didn't get around to taking a picture before it was all gone ;-)

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

2 lb tomatoes
1 onion, halved and then then sliced thinly
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
1 celery rib, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 cups of liquid (combination of chicken broth, water...)
pinch of crumbled saffron threads
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup long-grain white rice

PREPARATION:

Blanch tomatoes (with a shallow X cut into skin using sharp paring knife) in boiling water for 10 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to a owl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Peel tomatoes, then halve crosswise. Squeeze halves gently, cut sides down, over a sieve set over a bowl to extract seeds and juices, then press on seeds and discard them. Reserve juice and tomatoes.

Cook onions, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf in oil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with reserved juice, tomato paste, water and broth, salt and pepper, saffron and sugar, then simmer, uncovered, stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a spoon occasionally, 20 minutes. Stir in rice and simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, 10 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf and add salt and sugar to taste.

Corn and Tomato Gratin

Back to school means back to structured meal planning... so I'm back to some serious cooking on weekends. This is a delicious gratin that tastes more like a succulent bread pudding. Everyone asked for seconds and Margot even requested more tomatoes!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 to 8):

1 1/2 lb red or yellow tomatoes, cut crosswize into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 5 to 6 ears)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a day-old baguette, including crust)
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

PREPARATION:

Arrange tomato slices in 1 layer on a rack set in a shallow baking pan and sprinkle on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let drain 30 minutes. While tomatoes drain, bring corn, milk, cream, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, uncovered.

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 375F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Toss together bread crumbs, basil, and cheese in another bowl.

Arrange one third of tomato slices in baking dish, then cover evenly with one third of bread-crumb mixture. Spoon half of corn mixture over crumbs, then repeat layering with half of remaining tomatoes, crumbs, and all of corn. Arrange remaining tomatoes over corn, then top with remaining brad crumbs and dot with remaining butter.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and gratin is bubbling all over, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack, about 15 minutes, before serving.

The recipe comes from the September 2006 edition of Gourmet magazine.