Recipe for Love

Surprise your love with this bright red risotto made with fresh beetroot topped with buttery scallops  Make sure your risotto is really creamy by adding more stock if it gets too thick. The scallops should be seared quickly and frequently basted with butter whilst cooking.
This recipe makes enough for 4 starter size servings or 2 main course servings.
Who needs to eat a lot when you are celebrating love?

BEETROOT RISOTTO WITH SCALLOPS AND BROWNED BUTTER

The Risotto

2 shallots finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

50 g unsalted butter + 2 tbsp of olive oil

Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme

250g best quality risotto rice

125 ml dry white wine

900 ml (or more) organic chicken or vegetable stock

2-3 fresh beetroot peeled and grated

110 g grated pecorino, plus more for serving

The Scallops

6 fresh scallops

50 g unsalted butter

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 small clove garlic, peeled

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme leaves. Cook gently for three minutes or so until the onion has softened but not browned. Meanwhile heat the stock to simmering point. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat all of the grains in the buttery mixture. Cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes until the grains begin to look translucent. Add the wine to the pan and allow it to bubble up and reduce slightly. Add a ladleful of the simmering stock, and stir until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, as the liquid is absorbed, stirring between each addition. You have to stir constantly. Cook until the rice is tender but still has a little bite. It will take at least 20 minutes. Add more stock if necessary.

Brown the butter with the thyme and garlic in a frying pan and sear the scallops quickly, about 1 minute on each side. Baste with butter and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the the pecorino, then taste and adjust the seasoning, top with the scallops, drizzle over the browned butter and serve immediately with extra pecorino if desired (and a scattering of rose petals of cours..)

Hope you Love it!!


Recipe Liselotte Forslin
Photo Ulrika Ekblom

Liselotte is food writer, recipe creator, food stylist and cook book author extraordinaire
Ulrica is a fabulous, creative food photographer

Get inspired - see more of Liselotte's and Ukrika's work on www.leparfait.se