Beet & Corn Risotto

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

Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, cut into chunks, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Roast 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 beets are tender. Once cooked, set aside to cool slightly.

While beets and corn are roasting, heat chicken stock in a small sauce pan until warm.

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

Reduce heat to low. Add 1 cup of the warm stock to the rice, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed. Keep adding 1 cup of stock at a time and stirring until the liquid absorbs between each addition. Stop adding stock when it appears to no longer absorb into the rice.

Add beets to a food processor and blend until pureed. Add beet puree to the cooked rice along with the corn, thyme, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

Saute over low for 3–4 minutes until heated through. Garnish with lemon slices and grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes:
1. You can use any kind of stock instead of chicken stock, though I think it paired nicely with the thyme.
2. I made this recipe with fresh beets but I suppose it would work with canned beets as well. If you use canned beets, drain and puree the beets and add directly to the rice (you can skip the roasting step).
3. We ate this with grilled chicken and it was delicious!