This is perfect as a starter or ‘tapas’ style dish. I took a goats cheese, tarragon & beetroot risotto recipe and adapted it slightly. Instead of adding the beetroot to the risotto, I made a separate chutney.

After rolling the cooled risotto into balls, I placed a good size piece of goats cheese in the middle, rolled some more, and finished them off by covering in breadcrumbs. Fry off the risotto balls in a hot frying pan with a little oil, then place in the oven for 20 minutes at 200oC. Serve with some rocket leaves, to give the dish a delicious peppery kick.

For the risotto, follow a basic standard recipe i.e 1 Onion, 500g Arborio Rice, 1 1/2 litres of Stock plus Seasoning. I always add a stick of finely chopped celery with the onions when frying off at the start for some extra crunch, along with a splash of white wine, and for this dish a handful of fresh Tarragon thrown in at the end.

The sweet and tangy Beetroot chutney recipe is below, and compliments the strong tarragon and goats cheese flavours.

Beetroot Chutney:

Ingredients: 

-900g Pickled Beetroot (chopped into small cubes, approx. 1 cm)

-450g Cooking Apples (cored, peeled and   chopped)

-2 medium Onions

-600ml Malt Vinegar

-1 tsp Salt

-225g Demerara Sugar

Method: Place all ingredients, except the Beetroot, into a pan on a high heat, and boil for 20 minutes until the apples & onions are soft. Remove from the heat and add the Beetroot, allowing the mixture to cool fully before serving. This can be made a few days ahead.