Purple Risotto

I've been wanting to make a beetroot risotto for awhile, since I saw a TV chef I don't particularly like whip one off. This version is unideal because we had no fresh beetroot; if we did, I'd chip it into matchsticks and replace the drained beetroot juice with a 1/2–1 cup or so of water.

This was fantastically tasty. My partner, who is lukewarm when it comes to beetroot (unlike me, though I agree with Robin Robertson and say that tinned just isn't the same after having fresh), was blown away by this recipe and said that it's now in her top ten recipes. She'd also like me to mention that the onions chopped into matchsticks was her idea; I just chopped them as usual. She suggests frying them until they're caramelised.


Purple Risotto
(Or, more mundanely, beetroot risotto)

1 red onion, chopped into matchsticks
1/2 eggplant, sliced into thin strips
425 g can beetroot, sliced; juice reserved
2 cups of spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup pearl barley
2 cups vege stock
2 tB balsamic vinegar
black pepper
whole baby spinach leaves, for garnish

Steam-fry onion and garlic until onion is clear. Add eggplant and cook until softened.
Add pearl barley, spinach, beetroot and marjoram, and fry for a minute. Combine beetroot juice, stock and balsamic vinegar. Add to pan a 1/4 cup at a time, waiting until it all absorbs until adding more. Cook until all the stock has been absorbed and the pearl barley is cooked.
Season with black pepper and stir through. Serve topped with fresh baby spinach leaves.