red beetroot risotto with fresh cheese - quick and easy, tasty recipe

Red beet risotto, a treat for the palate but not for everyone!
I take the liberty of saying not for everyone, because beetroot is one of those ingredients that people hardly like, yet I find it really VERY interesting...
For example, my wife didn't like it at all, but cooked in a different way, as for example in this amazing recipe, or used as a characterising element in smoothies, mmmhhh it immediately becomes a delight for the palate!!!
Let's now come to the recipe I have thought up for you, a very simple and delicate recipe, a risotto mantecato that will make even starred restaurants envious eheh
Ingredients for 2 people
- 140 g rice
- 1 pre-cooked (or raw peeled) beetroot
- 1 shallot
- 1 L stock
- Red or white wine
- Fresh cheese spread to taste
- Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
- Butter to taste
- Olive oil to taste
- Pepper to taste
Procedure:
Prepare a saucepan with 1 litre of broth, cut the shallot and beetroot* into small cubes; then heat a saucepan with a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallot (warning: if you see that the shallot is about to burn, add a drop of stock).
Once the shallot is well browned, add the beetroot and a dash of stock.
Cook for about 5/10 minutes until the stock has dried up thoroughly, then transfer half the beetroot to a blender container (as it will be used for the cream) and add the rice to the pot with the remaining beetroot.
After toasting the rice, add the wine* (I used a red one), let it evaporate and then add the stock a little at a time until cooked.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the beetroot cream; in the blender container, in addition to the beetroot, add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, a trickle of oil, a teaspoon of fresh cheese and a little broth.
Operate the minipimer and if the mixture is too thick add another drizzle of broth, but be careful not to make the cream too liquid because it will be used for the mantecatura of the rice.
Finally, a few minutes from the end of cooking your rice, prepare the cream cheese.
Heat a small saucepan with 3/4 tablespoon of soft cream cheese and a little water which, together with the heat, will help to melt the cheese. Be sure to stir and add a trickle of water until the cheese has melted well and has the right consistency; as soon as it is liquid enough, i.e. the right consistency, turn off the cooker and set it aside.
As soon as the rice is ready, we serve and assemble all the ingredients:
cream the risotto with a knob of butter, grana padano cheese and our beetroot cream (start with a few spoonfuls and add a little at a time until it is creamy), then decorate with melted cheese.
N.B. :
* you can also use a raw beetroot (which I prefer), the procedure is the same and the flavour will be more delicate but with nuances closer to the 'root' of the turnip...try it!
* As an alternative to red wine (which I used in this recipe), you can use a white or rosé wine, obviously the flavour will be more delicate and the final colour more vivid.