Beet and Radicchio Risotto with Mirto

Last week Jack and I had dinner at one of our neighborhood favorites, Aurora. Definitely not a red sauce joint-- if you want spaghetti and meatballs, you won't find it there. Instead, the menu is eclectic, and includes a lot of wild game and to die for freshly made pasta. One of the dishes was farro and beets with a perfectly grilled quail and we both immediately decided it was long past time to try making a beet risotto.

And so this weekend I gave it a try. To balance out the sweetness of the beets I decided to add roasted radicchio as well. And instead of deglazing with the usual splash of white wine I used Mirto, a digestive produced in Sardinia and made with myrtle berries and leaves.

Beet and Radicchio Risotto with Mirto

1 medium red beet
1/2 head fresh radicchio, cleaned and chopped
1 1/4 c. carnaroli or arborio rice
2 medium shallots
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. butter (optional)
1/2 c. Mirto
2 c. vegetable stock
2 c. water
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425F.  Wash the beet, removing the dirt but leaving skin on, cut into quarters. Sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil, and place the quarters in a small pan, covering it with foil.  Do the same with the half head of radicchio, but wrap it in a separate foil packet.  Place the beets and radicchio in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes (until the beets are tender). Remove the beets and let cool. Unwrap the radicchio and let the leaves roast another 5 minutes or so.

When the beets are cool, peel and chop them. Chop the radicchio, as well, and set aside

Heat the stock and water together on a very low simmer.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the shallots and tarragon. Saute for about five minutes and then add the risotto, stirring until the kernels begin to look shiny. Add the butter, if you're using it, and stir for another minute or two.

Pour the Mirto into the pan and saute a few minutes more, stirring until the alcohol concentrates down a little and looks thicker.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Add 1 cup hot broth and bring to a simmer, stirring until the broth is completely absorbed. Add the remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy,--about 25 to 35 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the risotto is is done toss in the goat cheese and stir until melted and incorporated.  Turn off the heat and add in the roasted beets and radicchio.  Fold in gently and serve immediately.

Comments

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

Mirto is new to me, though it sounds intriguing. I'm a sucker for the color and flavor of beet risotto; it makes such a dramatic statement on the plate.

[Manggy]

Well, beets would make a red sauce, wouldn't they? :D I can't even begin to imagine what this would taste like. I need to
1) Taste beets, once and for all (nooo, they're not impossible to find, just... no one uses them)
2) Have a first attempt at risotto!

[Adele]

How unusual! I love beets, so I should really get around to making beet risotto myself. :)

[giz]

I feel somewhat certain that if I ever asked at any of my local grocery stores for Mirto I would likely be greeted with that Marmaduke "huh". I'm imagining it's only available at specialty stores. Can you get it at Zabar's?

[LisaRene]

It appears your risotto was quite the success!

Mirto is an unfamiliar product to me, I'll have to look into it.

[Bellini Valli]

I love beets Ann so this recipe would be something I would like to try as well..with your wine suggestion of course:D

[Susan]

Mirto? I am intrigued...and on a mission. What a fabulous collection of savory flavors!

[Aran]

I love rice and I love beets...and I love wild game too! sounds delicious! Thanks for the kind words you left at my blog!

[katy]

oh yum! i just tried my first non-canned beet recently from the farmer's market -- what a difference!

question for you -- have you ever tried making risotto with short-grain brown rice? i'm debating it for a dinner party this week but i can't seem to find anyone who's done it successfully. there are a bunch of farro risottos out there, though, so it can't be much different, right?

[Ann]

Lydia, it's lovely stuff... very herb-y.

Manggy, please, please, please do NOT let your first taste of beets come from a can! Find a fresh one and roast it with some salt and pepper and olive oil. Then have it with goat cheese and a lemony dressing. You'll be amazed!
How unusual! I love beets, so I should really get around to making beet risotto myself. :)

giz, you can order it online... and of course you can buy it in my neighborhood if you ever visit NYC. :-)

LisaRene, we first had Mirto at a little Italian place here in our neighborhood, where they often serve it after a meal, chilled, and on the house. Lovely stuff.

Bellini Valli, if you can't find Mirto I'd think Pernod (nothing like Mirto, but a new thought!) would be very nice with the tarragon flavor...

Susan, do look for it... it's such a unique and lovely little digestive to serve after a meal!

Aran, then you'd love this recipe, I think! :-)

katy, I don't think you'll end up with a true risotto if you use brown rice, though you'll have yourself a lovely unusual rice dish! Farro is actually really different from short-grain brown rice in that it doesn't go at all mushy and the end result does resemble risotto in that the each grain maintains a singularity (for lack of a better word).

I'd try it with farro (which is how we had it at the restaurant and what I was actually intending to do, but I had carnaroli that needed to be used).

[myfrenchkitchen]

Your risotto looks so interesting and different with the beets and the radichio and I'm all new to Mirto, so I would love to give this a try!
ronell

[Pasticerra]

At last a reason to crack open the bottle of Mirto, that Fabrizio's parents brought us back from Sardengna. I loves the last farro risotto, so I'll have to give this one a go.

[Pixie]

A wonderfully different risotto; it's my favourite!