Beets for Good Health

I'm awash in beets...baby beets, adult beets, deformed beets, and perfectly round beets. Two two-hundred foot rows of Detroit Dark Red, planted thickly and thinned and sold from June 1st through November, the gift that keeps on giving, and giving and giving...

ROSY BEET RISOTTO

2 medium beets
3 T. olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 ½ cups Arborio or short-grain rice
2 T. snipped fresh basil
2 14-oz cans chicken broth
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place beets in the center of 18-in square of heavy foil. Drizzle with 1 T olive oil and fold , allowing room for steam to build. Roast 1hr and 15 min or until tender. Cool 30 minutes. Remove beets, transfer liquid to measuring cup, add water to equal ½ cup. Pour liquid in medium saucepan. Peel and cut beets in wedges. In 3-qt saucepan cook onion in remaining oil until tender; add rice. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add broth to beet liquid in saucepan. Bring to boil. Recue heat and simmer. Carefully stir 1 cup of hot broth into rice mixture. Cook, stirring frequently over med heat until liquid is absorbed. Then add ½ cup broth at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more (about 20 min). Stir in any remaining broth. Cook and stir just until rice is tender and creamy. Add beets, heat through. Remove rice from heat, stir in half of cheese, snipped basil and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle remaining cheese and basil leaves and serve. Makes 8 side-dish servings.

*Recipe from the kitchen of Bette Linck-Nikodemski