Today Show: Donal Skehan
Kathie Lee Hoda and Jenna Bush Hager were in the Today Food kitchen with Irish chef Donal Skehan to learn how to cook with beets. Try this recipe for Beet Risotto if you dare.

Irish chef Donal Skehan visited the Today Food kitchen with a recipe for Beet Risotto. Find out how to turn this vegetable into a favorite rice dish. (magro-family / flickr)
Donal suggested wearing gloves to prevent the beets from staining your hands while you are peeling and slicing them. “Beetroot Risotto starts off with a good base of garlic and onions,” Donal said. The addition of wine was the only point at which Kathie Lee seemed interested.
Today Show: Donal Skehan Beet Risotto Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups peeled, trimmed Beets
- 1 liter Vegetable Stock
- 2 fine chopped cloves Garlic
- 100 ml White Wine
- 1 fine chopped Onion
- 1 cup Arborino Rice (short grain rice)
- 1 handful grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 handful Dill
- Sour Cream
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Donal Skehan: Today Show Beet Risotto Recipe Directions
- Preheat the oven at 375 F.
- Wrap the beets in aluminum foil. Place the foil packet on a baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes, until fork tender.
- Let the beets cool out of the oven until you can handle them. Peel the beets and cut them into small chunks.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion and garlic; let soften about 10 minutes.
- Add rice to the pan. Take it off the heat to stir it in and coat it with the onion mix.
- Place the pan back over the heat. Add wine. Then add enough stock to cover the rice.
- Simmer and stir until the rice has pretty much absorbed all the liquid.
- Continue to add more stock, a bit at a time, until absorbed. This will take another 15 minutes and end with a creamy glaze on the rice.
- Place 1/4 of your beets in a food processor or blender and puree.
- Add puree to the rest of the beets. Mix this into the risotto along with parmesan, salt and pepper.
- Adjust stock if needed to loosen the risotto. Garnish with sour cream and dill to serve.
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