Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

My sister passed along this recipe to me after trying it, and loving it. I'm not sure where she got it, so other than stating it's not wholly my own creation I can't give any other credit. I made a few alterations (wild rice instead of Arborio, prepared beets, and the cooking method), and it was quite good. If you're not a fan of beets or are looking for a way to incorporate (and by that I mean hide) them into your kids' food, this is a good one. My 2 yr old ate the risotto AND the goat cheese. What kind of 2 yr old eats goat cheese and asks for more? Mine, apparently. 

Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

¼ cup butter

2 medium beets, diced (I bought beets already peeled at Whole Foods)

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup wild rice

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 T balsamic vinegar

4 cups Chicken Broth

Goat Cheese, to crumble over risotto (about 1/3-1/2 cup)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the beets and onion, and cook for 10 minutes (stir to allow the onion to caramelize). Mix in the rice and balsamic vinegar and continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat chicken broth in a small saucepan over low heat. 

Add the broth 1-2 ladles at a time and stir, allowing the rice to absorb most of the moisture before adding more broth. Stir occasionally. Keep repeating until all of the broth is used and the rice is cooked. It will take about 45 minutes to go through all of the broth.

Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese, and serve. 

I served this dish with salmon cakes and a green salad (recipe in concurrent post for today). The goat cheese is a perfect pairing with the slightly sweet beets and nutty, creamy wild rice.