Creamy feta rice with beetroot, nuts & rosemary dukkah

Name: Creamy feta rice with beetroot, nuts & rosemary dukkah
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little to serve, optiona; 75 g frozen Cooks’ Ingredients Chopped Shallots; 500 g bunch beetroot, unpeeled; 5 cloves garlic, 4 bashed whole, 1 crushed; 1.1 L vegetable stock, made with 2 stock cubes, hot; 50 g walnut halves, roughly broken; 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped; 275 g arborio rice; 125 g Essential Feta, finely crumbled, to taste; 4 tsp Cooks’ Ingredients Dukkah, or more if liked

If you’re bored of your regular risotto, try this for texture and flavour in spades. The stock is added in just two additions, and we promise no-one will ever know

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Low in saturated fat1 of your 5 a day

Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare15 mins
Cook25 mins
Total time40 mins

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Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little to serve, optiona
75g frozen Cooks’ Ingredients Chopped Shallots
500g bunch beetroot, unpeeled
5 cloves garlic, 4 bashed whole, 1 crushed
1.1 L vegetable stock, made with 2 stock cubes, hot
50g walnut halves, roughly broken
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
275g arborio rice
125g Essential Feta, finely crumbled, to taste
4 tsp Cooks’ Ingredients Dukkah, or more if liked

Method

Preheat the oven to 220ºC, gas mark 7. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium high-sided casserole or heavy-based pan, then add the shallots and a little salt. Soften gently for 5 minutes.
Trim, quarter and thinly slice the beetroot. Toss in a large roasting tin with the whole garlic cloves, the remaining 1 tbsp oil and 100ml stock. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring once, until just tender and caramelising. Scatter with the walnuts and ½ the rosemary, then cook for 5 minutes more until the nuts are toasted.
Sizzle the arborio rice with the shallots for 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed garlic glove for 30 seconds, then add 500ml stock. Simmer rapidly for 5-7 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the pan base starts to appear as you stir. Repeat with the remaining stock.
Stir in ¾ of the feta, cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir well to fully melt the cheese. The rice should be just al dente, creamy and flowing. Add a dash of water if needed and season to taste. Mix the dukkah and remaining rosemary. Plate up the rice, then top with the nutty beetroot, dukkah, the remaining feta and a drizzle of oil, if liked.

Cook’s tip

With its core flavours of feta and garlic, this rice is easily adapted. Try with grilled asparagus in the spring, and aubergines and tomatoes in summer. Use dill instead of rosemary, or pine nuts in place of walnuts. If your bunch of beets has some leaves, wash them, then roughly chop and fold into the pan with the feta.