In which one Washingtonian figures out what the heck to do with local and seasonal ingredients in a kitchen the size of a shoe box.

Some of you may be going out to eat this coming Thursday. There’s this little holiday known as Valentine’s Day, and it is a day when you are meant to take your love out for a romantic dinner by candlelight, profess your feelings of desire and sip champagne and seductively slurp oysters on the half shell. Unfortunately, everyone else has this same idea.

Those who were hoping for an intimate Valentine’s evening are packed like a pickle next to other swooning couples. They are served by an overworked waiter and unable to hear their date’s sweet nothings over the din.

Save the fancy meal for your tax refund. On the 14th, stay in and cook a cozy and romantic meal. I have just the thing.

Beets are one of the few vegetables you can get from the farm stand in this cold month of February, and they are probably the most romantic of the wintry offerings. Kale is nutritious, but hardly date-worthy; hearty squash is sweet, but not the color of love. Beets just might be the choice of the love-struck, leaving them with reddened fingertips and pink lips.

The easiest way to make beets is to roast them; cut them into quarters, sprinkle with olive oil and kosher salt, and roast at 450 degrees until soft and caramelized. They are delicious with good goat cheese and toasted walnuts. I’ve also heard tell of savory beet cheesecakes, and while I keep meaning to try one, I haven’t gotten around to it. Pickled beets are tangy, and cold borsht is a delight in mid-summer, but neither of those are appropriate for a romantic dinner.

I’d like to recommend this beet risotto for the big night. What I really like about this recipe is that it uses the whole beet. The beets are in beautiful bunches at the market, laid out with their deep green leaves and dark red stems ending in a bulbous, dirty root. Too often, I cut off the stems and use the beets, and the greens sit in the bottom drawer of my refrigerator and slowly wilt. By incorporating them into the risotto, it is studded with ribbons of dark green and a variety of different textures.

Risottos are so very easy, but they also have the mystique of the fancy and cultured. This dish is sure to impress, and it does take a while, but it requires very little labor: Bring your date into the kitchen with you to sip champagne and flirt as you stir the risotto. When it’s ready, it is the prettiest shade of dark pink, a bowl full of steaming Valentine’s Day cheer.

You might even use the zested orange, peeled and then sectioned, on a plate with a strawberry or two and maybe a slice of pound cake for a chocolate fondue. Beet risotto and chocolate fondue in the privacy of one’s own candlelit home? You’ll never brave the restaurant crowds again.

Beet Risotto

Adapted from Diana Shaw’s Almost Vegetarian.

Serves 4. Takes 2 hours.

Ingredients

3 beets with their stems and leaves intact 6 c. water 1 ¼ tsp. salt, plus more to taste 5 peppercorns 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced 1 tbsp. of butter 1 onion, diced zest of one orange 1 c. of Arborio rice 2 tbsp. of cider vinegar sour cream to finish

Cut the stems from the beets. Wash the beets thoroughly, then trim their tops and bottoms. Place them in a saucepan and cover them with water, 1 tsp salt and peppercorns. Bring the pot to a boil, cover and then simmer until the beets are cooked through (about 45 minutes). You’ll know the beets are done when you can easily run a knife through them.

While your beets are cooking, prepare the greens. Cut the stems and greens into 1-inch pieces. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat and add the garlic. You just want to infuse the oil with garlic and just barely cook it through (about five minutes). Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Turn the heat up to medium and add the stems and greens. Add the ¼ tsp of salt, and cook until the greens wilt and the stems are cooked but still have bite to them, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic back in, cook for another minute, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Remove the beets from the liquid, but do not discard the liquid. Let beets cool for a few minutes, then peel them (the skins should come off quite easily). Cut one of the beets into a medium dice and put aside with the sautéed greens. Quarter the other two, place them in a blender with some of the cooking liquid, and puree until smooth. Add puree back to the cooking liquid and stir to combine. This is your cooking broth for the risotto. Keep it simmering on the stove; hot liquid is essential for risotto.

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add onions and zest and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent, but the before the zest burns (about 7 minutes). Add the rice and gently toast it about two minutes, stirring to coat it with the butter and seasonings. Add the vinegar and stir until it is absorbed completely. Then add a quarter cup of the hot beet broth at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed.

The key to a good risotto is to add small quantities of the liquid and keep stirring; you want to slowly release the starch with the friction of stirring, and allow the extra liquid to evaporate. After 25 or 30 minutes, the risotto will be done. You’ll know it’s done when you try a kernel and it is soft, but still has texture and structure.

When done, remove the risotto from the heat, and stir in the reserved vegetables. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy with someone you love.