Ingredients

• 1 large beet (approx 1 lb)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 32 ounces chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
• 3 ounces fresh chevre goat cheese, cold
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 T brown sugar

Instructions

ROAST AND PUREE THE BEET
1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Rinse the beet and trim off the greens (you can save them for later, beet greens are delicious sautéed with some garlic and olive oil). Wrap the beet in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. You should be able to easily pierce the beet through with a knife. Let it cool. When the beet is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off. It should come off easily. (Pro Tip: Peel the beet in a bowl of water, or under running water to minimize mess).
2. Cut the beet into chunks and place into a food processor or blender. Add the olive oil. Puree until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides and add a bit of water to loosen it up. Season with salt, to taste.
PREP THE RISOTTO
3. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Keep at a simmer the entire time the risotto cooks.
4. In a medium-sized sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Lower the heat a bit and add the rice. Cook until the rice is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in the white wine and allow it to evaporate and absorb into the rice. Add the warm chicken stock one ladle at a time, allowing it to absorb into the rice each time before adding the next ladle. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (Pro Tip: A flat-edged wooden spoon works best. For the most even stirring, methodically stir in a figure eight motion drawing the spoon down the center of the pan, up around the left edge of the pan, down the center, and up around the right edge).
6. Continue adding stock and stirring until the risotto is almost done, but not quite. It will look creamy, but the texture will still be too al dente. Add the beet puree, 2 teaspoons of balsamic, and rosemary. Keep stirring until the risotto is done – creamy and soft, with a nice al dente chew to it. From start to finish, it should take about 30 minutes to cook the risotto.
7. Spread the risotto onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet to cool.
ARANCINI ASSEMBLY
8. Set up your breading station with separate bowls for the flour, eggs, and panko.
9. Next, you’re going to form balls of rice stuffed with pieces of goat cheese. I’ve found that the most efficient way to do this is in batch motions. First, using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop for uniformity, I divide up all of the risotto. You now have a tray of golf-ball sized mounds.
10. Make an indentation in the center of each mound, and press in a piece of cheese.
11. Take each mound and roll it into a ball, encasing the cheese completely so you cannot see it. If it is too sticky, try wetting your hands with water.
12. Now do your 3-step breading. Gently roll the balls first in the flour, then in the eggs, and finally in the panko, shaking off excess after each coating. (Pro-tip: Use one hand for flouring, the other for egging, so you don’t end up breading your fingers).
13. To fry, pour enough vegetable oil to fill about 2-3 inches in a saucepan. Heat to 350 degrees and try to maintain throughout frying. Carefully fry 3 to 4 arancini at a time, flipping them until they are golden brown on all sides. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined sheet pan. Serve while hot with balsamic glaze.
BALSAMIC GLAZE
14. Combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a bowl, then lower heat to low and let simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency. Stir every once in a while. It should be thick enough to coat your spoon. Makes about ½ cup.

Notes