FOR THE SPICED NUTS:

Make these first before starting on the risotto. Or better yet, make them a day ahead. Preheat the oven to 120ªC (250ºF). In a small mixing bowl, toss the nuts with the egg white mixed in with water to evenly coat. Set aside. Meanwhile, collect the other ingredients. In a small bowl, add all seasonings. Transfer the nuts covered in egg white into a colander to strain out any excess liquids. 

Spoon out the spicy mixture and sprinkle evenly over the nuts. Transfer the coated nuts to a foil-lined baking tray. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

Great as a topping on salads, as a trail mix (dried cranberries with coconut chips are fantastic additions) or as a nutty snack as it is.

You will only need a handful of these nuts as a topping. Keep the rest in an airtight container.

FOR THE RISOTTO:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Cut up the beetroot into cubes. I use vacuum-packed beetroot that has already been steamed. (see notes above for why this is my preferred choice) Reserve any beetroot juice and set aside.

Set aside 1 cup of diced beetroot. Place the rest on a foil-lined tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black paper. Roast for 45 minutes. With a hand-held blender, purée the cup of diced beetroot. Set aside. 

In a small pot, heat up 5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock. Or if using stock cubes, use two cubes to 5 cups water. Keep it hot on a low simmer. 

In a cast-iron pot on medium heat, melt the knob of butter. Sauté the garlic and onion until fragrant. About 3 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat with the melted butter. Add wine and cook until absorbed. If not using wine, add the first cup of hot stock/hot water. 

Only add the next cup once the first cup of liquids have been absorbed. Add the beetroot juice and the cup of puréed beetroot. This will give the rice a lovely pink hue. Keep stirring. Add thyme, balsamic vinegar and salt. If you have opted not to use wine in this recipe, now is when you add the lemon juice. 

Once all the liquids have absorbed, add the next cup of liquids (hot stock/water). In total, I used 5 cups but you will need to eyeball it yourself and decide how much liquids to add. This means you will have to be at the stove for the entire time, stirring constantly. It only takes about 20 minutes to turn Arborio rice to risotto. Stop adding more liquids once you get a creamy consistency. The rice should still retain some bite and not be too soggy.

As a final step, add the cream cheese and stir to combine. Turn the fire off. 
To serve, top with feta cheese, arugula and the spiced nuts. Dig in!!