Springtime millet ‘risotto’ with young beetroot

Beetroot season tapers off in the depths of winter, but this versatile root vegetable stores well and is generally available year-round. Baltic cooking involves a lot of beetroot, and the bright colours in this ‘risotto’ immediately scream spring to me. At other times of year, however, you could replace the young beetroot leaves and stalks with about 200g of spinach leaves — simply stir them into the ‘risotto’ near the end of the cooking time.

As I like to use local ingredients, I use crumbly, tangy Lancashire cheese when making this dish at home, but feta or goat’s cheese would work equally well.

SERVES: 4 TAKES: 40 MINS

INGREDIENTS

3 young unpeeled beetroots, with stalks and leaves (or 200g spinach leaves, shredded, if you can’t find beetroot with leaves)

3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

250g millet grain

125ml white wine 1 litre hot vegetable stock

1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a

pinch of salt, using the flat of a knife 2 tbsp chopped dill, plus extra to serve 1 tbsp lemon juice

100g Lancashire cheese, feta or goat’s

cheese, crumbled

15g butter

2 tbsp fermented beetroot elixir (optional,

see recipe online)

5 tbsp sour cream fermented garlic scapes (optional, see

recipe online)

METHOD

Cut the stalks and leaves off the beetroots, keeping them separate. Roughly chop the stalks and tear any larger leaves. Cook the beetroots in a saucepan of boiling salted water for around 30 mins. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and dice the beetroots. Set aside.

Pour the rapeseed oil into a large frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 2-3 mins until soft and translucent, then add the beetroot stalks and fry for another minute or so, stirring regularly.

Stir in the millet, then immediately pour in the white wine. Let it all bubble for a moment to allow the alcohol to evaporate, then add a ladleful of stock and stir until it’s absorbed. Repeat until you’ve added around half of the stock, then stir in the garlic. Continue slowly pouring in the stock, stirring often, until it’s all been added and the millet has been cooking for around 15 mins.

Add the beetroot, beetroot leaves (or spinach) and dill. Continue cooking and stirring until the beetroot is heated through and the leaves have wilted.

Season with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, then test the millet — if it’s not soft enough, but you’ve run out of stock, add a little boiling water and keep cooking until it’s done to your liking.

Stir through the cheese, butter, fermented beetroot elixir (if using) and most of the sour cream. Sprinkle with the extra dill, scatter over a few fermented garlic scapes (if using), add a final dollop of sour cream and serve hot.

MAKE ME Find additional Zuza Zak recipes at nationalgeographic. co.uk/food-travel