Venison and Beetroot Risotto

Little bursts of health keep your body feeling good and make you less guilty about eating the bad stuff. However, this meal is another one that tastes so good, you'll probably think it's bad. The meal we've got is a Brown and white rice risotto with venison, with a beetroot puree sauce, onions, amaranth, and wilted courgette. Notes of rosemary accentuate New Zealand venison mince to round this of into a slightly sweet and savoury dish.

Ingredients

300g Brown Rice

100g White Rice

500g Venison Mince

3 Courgettes, cut into ribbons

2 Brown Onions, finely sliced

8 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced

10 Button Mushrooms, sliced

500ml Venison Stock (or lamb stock, next best alternative)

2 Beetroot

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

3 Teaspoons Dried Oregano

2 Bay Leaves

1 Small Bunch of Italian Parsley, stems minced, leaved roughly chopped

1/4 Cup Amaranth

Cream (optional)

Parmesan Cheese

Salt/Pepper

Red Wine Vinegar

Olive Oil

Lemon (optional)

Method

Blend together the stock and beetroot. If it's too thick, add some water. You'll want it to be quite watery if you want it to go the distance. Transfer it to a pot and put it on a low heat.

In a large pot, saute on a medium-high the onions, garlic, rosemary, oregano, bay leaves, parsley stems and half the leaves. Cook until soft, then add the white rice. Fry that for a few minutes, then add the brown rice.

Add the beetroot and stock a couple of ladles at a time, with regular stirring. When it dries out, add another couple of ladles, repeat until the brown rice is cooked. About halfway through, crumble the venison mince into it along with the mushrooms and amaranth. Then continue the process as above. If you run out of liquid, continue with water.

In a separate frying pan on a low heat, wilt the courgette. Don't brown it, just soften it gently.

When the brown rice is tender and the sauce is nice and thick, stir in a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar, and if you want, a quarter cup of cream. Stir in the remaining Italian parsley. Salt to taste, as well as a bit of pepper.

Serve with shavings of parmesan, lay ribbons of wilted courgette over each dish. Maybe a squeeze of lemon juice.

Enjoy!