Carrots and Beetroot Risotto

I usually like all types of vegetables and fruits. Bitter gourd and beets are the exception most of the times. Although I have found ways that I can eat beets, bitter gourd still remains a challenge!

Here's another healthy, and very edible, beet recipe, a slight modification from the earlier version.

You'll need:

3 small carrots

2 beets
2 tbsp Olive oil

1 cup (uncooked) Arborio rice (or any medium-grain rice)

1 large onion peeled and chopped

2-3 tbsps butter

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup red/white wine

2 cups (approximately) water or chicken/veg stock

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese + some more for garnish (Parmesan is recommended because of its strong flavour, but I've used Gouda or even Cheddar and liked the result)

Seasoning to taste

Bake the carrots and beets with some olive oil at 200 deg C for about 30 minutes. Once cool, peel and puree them in a mixer. If you don't have an oven, just boil them in some water till semi-cooked. If you put a knife through it, there should be some resistance. Keep aside.

In a deep pan on medium heat, pour the butter. When hot, add the garlic and onions. Stir for a minute and put it on low heat for another 5 minutes. Once the onions start to caramelize a little, increase the heat to medium-high and add the rice and roast for about a minute. Add the beets and carrot. Then add the wine and stir a little till the liquid is absorbed. 

Now add 1 cup of the water or stock. Stir a little and let the water get absorbed by the rice. Once the rice has taken in most of the water, add another half a cup of water/stock and stir a little to release the starch from the rice. 

Depending on the consistency, add or subtract the amount of water/stock being used. Add some salt and pepper and the Parmesan cheese. Check the rice if it's done - it should be firm and not be too soggy. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Serve hot with some grated Parmesan.

Pasta with Pesto Sauce and Grilled Veggies

I finally found a place that gives a good bunch of sweet basil leaves for a reasonable price to make pesto at home. Once that was taken care of, rest was easy.

For the grilled veggies:
2 tomatoes sliced 
1/2 of a large aubergine, sliced
Olive oil
Sea Salt (or regular would do as well) to taste

Line them up in a baking tray (separately) and drizzle some olive oil on top. Sprinkle some salt. Don't over-season as your final dish will also have salt. Put this in an oven and bake for about 40 minutes at 200 deg C. They'll come out nice and toasted.

For the pesto sauce:
1 large cup of basil leaves
1/2 cup cashew nuts
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or any other hard cheese like Gouda or Cheddar)
4-5 tbsp Olive oil
Seasoning

Add all the ingredients in a blender and mix till it is a semi-smooth paste. Add/subtract oil as per consistency.

TIP: Add an ice cube when blending to retain a fresh green colour.

To make the pasta:
2 cups cooked pasta of your choice
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil to cook
2 tbsp olive oil to serve
1 onion, chopped

Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, then add the onion. Stir till onions are golden brown. Then add the pasta and pesto sauce. Coat the pasta in the sauce evenly. Add the the grilled tomatoes and aubergines. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

For the cheese-crazy, serve with some grated cheese.