Porcini Risotto with Beetroot Balls

We're always splitting up the preperation for our christmas dinner. I'm sending the menu ideas to my family first and everyone decides what they would like to eat and what they could imagine to prepare. Mostly it ends with the men sitting on the couch and the women cooking a wunderful menu. But we're working on that. At least they have the will to do something and after the dinner all plates are empty *proud*

As an entree for this years phony menu I have chosen a porcini risotto. It's very easy to make alongside. You can draft one of the men to help you stir while you can organize the rest of your menu. With oven baked carrots, beetroot balls and a wonderful sauce your christmas dinner is going to be amazing. Have lots of fun with cooking!

Makes 4 portions.

For the porcini risotto:
1 onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
300 g risotto rice
2 tbsp. dried porcini or 250 g fresh porcini
1,2 l vegetable broth
salt, pepper, nutmeg
1 tbsp. yeast flakes
1 tbsp. almond butter

Cut the onion into cubes and sweat them in olive oil, then add risotto rice. Add mushrooms and 200 ml vegetable broth and let it cook while stiring. Flavour it. As soon as the rice absorbed the vegetable broth add some more liquid until the rice is covered. Stiring makes the rice creamy so don't waste your arm power. After 30-40 minutes when all the liquid is gone an the rice is done, add yeast flakes and almond butter. Taste everything.

For the beetroot balls:
250 g fresh beetroot
200 g tofu
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion
2 tbsp. soy curd
3 tbsp. breadcrumbs, whole spelt
salt, pepper, nutmeg, sage
1 tbsp. yeast flakes
olive oil for the taste

Grate beetroot. Crumble tofu and roast it in a pan with lots of olive oil. Cut onions into cubes and add them to the pan. Roast the mixture until it gets brown. Then flavour it and add beetroot. Roast everything a little bit unil the flavours evolve. In a mixing bowl mix together the beetroot mixture, soy curd, breadcrumbs and yeast flakes. Form the mixture into 12 balls and bake them in the pan with some olive oil.

For the oven baked carrots:
500 g multicolored carrots
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. maple sirup
salt, pepper

Quater the carrots lengthways and put it on a baking sheet with baking paper. Sprinkle with olive oil and maple sirup. Roast them in the oven at 190°C (374°F) upper-/lower heat 15-20 minutes.

For the gourmet sauce:
1 big onion
1 carrot
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. tomato paste
salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika
1 tbsp. starch
1 tbsp. soy sauce
500 ml vegetable broth

Cut onion and carrot into very fine cubes. Sweat in olive oil until they get brown and aromatic. Then add tomate paste and let it caramelize a little bit. Flavour it. Stir in the starch and the soy sauce and mix until everything is smooth. Add more and more vegetable sauce and let it boil down.

Serve risotto with dark sauce, oven baked carrots and beetroot balls. Feast until santa comes.