Beetroot day

Well, have you heard that beetroot is SOO good for one?
Also a very easy vegetable if you buy them ready made and vacuum saved in Tesco value plastic! Mostly because you can buy it and then have about 3 months to think about using it up.

So.. today is the day.. I always had a problem with the 500 grams of beetroot in the package, it is a bit too much for 2 people, even when I love beetroot!

Gently browsing through a 'gluten free' cookbook we picked up somewhere for little money I saw this 'Beetroot risotto' recipe. A perfect weekend recipe because it has the luxury things in it like butter and red wine. (things I would normally NEVER have uring the week!)

So.. the recipe means I can divide the beetroot in 2 portions and make beetroot cake for lunch (which I have done, it is unbelievable how nice and light that is without even a taste of beetroot once it is cooked) and will close the day off with the beetroot risotto!

First, the beetroot cake, very simple if you have a kitchen machine!

Ingredients:
75 grams cocoa powder
180 grams plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
250 grams caster sugar
3 large eggs
200 ml corn oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
icing sugar for dusting

heat the overn to 180 c and lightly butter a 20cm round or square cake tin.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder into a bowl and mix in the sugar.
In the food processor puree the beetroot and add the eggs one at a time, add vanilla and oil and whiz until smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the beetroot mixture and mix it all lightly. Poor into prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes, cool and sprinke with icing sugar.

Lovely!

Then.. the beetroot risotto, absolutely yammie!

Ingredients (2 people)
50 grams butter
1 red onion
175 grams risotto rice
200 ml red wine
400 ml stock
250 grams beetroot

Melt 2/3 of the butter and soften onion. Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Add red wine, season and simmer 5 minutes, add stock and simmer 1o minutes, add beetroot and simmer 10 minutes, add rest of butter, season and serve.

Having said all that, I got that primevil (?) urge and just had to add some bits of chicken which I quick roasted in my George Foreman grill, absolutely lovely!