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1
Preheat the oven to 400F.
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2
Wash and trim the beets, leaving a little of the stems intact so that you do not cut into the beets themselves.
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3
Wash the beet leaves and add them to the leafy greens for sauteing.
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4
Put the beets in a casserole dish with 3 tablespoons water.
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5
Cover tightly and roast until the beets are very tender, about 45 minutes.
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6
When cool, pull off and discard the skins and coarsely chop the beets.
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7
Put the beets in a bowl and mash them coarsely.
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8
Add the zest, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and a dash of salt.
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9
Mix well and set aside.
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10
Pour the stock into a pot and bring to a boil.
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11
Decrease the heat to a simmer.
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12
Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
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13
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, then the onion, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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14
Remove the barley from the soaking water, then add the barley and garlic to the soup pot and saute for 1 minute.
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15
Stir in the wine and cook until it has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
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16
Ladle a cup of stock into the risotto and stir until the liquid is absorbed.
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17
Repeat, adding the stock 1 cup at a time, until the barley is tender.
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18
This will take about 30 minutes.
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19
Reserve 1/4 cup of the stock to stir into the risotto at the very end.
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20
When the barley is tender, stir in all but a few tablespoons of the beets and cook for 1 minute.
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21
Turn off the heat and fold in 1 cup of the ricotta and the remaining 1/4 cup stock.
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22
To serve, put a cup of risotto on each plate and spoon a little olive oil on top.
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23
Top with the remaining ricotta and the reserved diced beets.
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24
Serve with the leafy greens, seasoning with pepper.
