Beetroot risotto with streaky bacon

Preparation – 15 minutes

Peel and then dice the onion and clove of garlic. Drain liquid from the package of pre-cooked red beets.  save one red beet for garnish (optional).

Roughly slice the red beets, add into the blender, add in a squeeze of lemon juice and mix until smooth. Dice the streaky bacon. Blend the flat-leaf parsley, basil, olive oil together and season with salt and pepper.

Set aside. Heat the stock and set it aside.

Cooking time – 30 minutes

Heat up the large deep pan, add in olive oil, and sauté the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the risotto and saute the risotto until slightly glazed. Pour in a nice big gulp of white wine, about 125 ml.

Stir, and wait for the wine to reduce. Cook the risotto by adding in some of the chicken stock (not all at once!). Stir, add more stock when needed. Repeat this step until the risotto rice has almost been fully cooked.

Add the beetroot puree and ground cumin seeds about 5 minutes before serving the risotto. Meanwhile heat up the small skillet and add in the diced streaky bacon, no need to add in butter or olive oil.

Bake until crispy. Stir the streaky bacon through the risotto when the rice has been cooked. Season the risotto with pepper (bacon and stock are already salty).

Garnish with watercress and the herb oil. Enjoy!