- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 2 baseball-size red or golden beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small yellow or red onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry red wine if you are using red beets and white wine if you are using golden beets
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound ricotta salata, crumbled
Pre-heat the oven to 425°.
In a medium size pot, warm the broth over medium heat. In a large, deep skillet or a medium size Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons EVOO, three turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Stir in the rice to coat with the EVOO, and toast for 2 minutes. Add the beets, onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until absorbed into the rice, then begin adding broth a couple of ladles at a time, stirring with each addition, until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
While the risotto is working, on a baking sheet, toss the asparagus with the remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO, season with salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes.
Serve shallow bowls of beet risotto with the roasted asparagus and crumbled cheese on top.