Asparagus Risotto

  • 25 mins

  • Easy

  • 2 serves

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Ingredients:

150g ASPARAGUS rounds (=5,29oz=1 ⅛ cups)

150g PGI VIALONE NANO VERONESE RICE or CARNAROLI RICE or ARBORIO RICE (=5,29oz=¾ cup)

1 SHALLOT

700g MEAT STOCK or VEGETABLE BROTH (=24,69oz=2 ¾ cup)

55g DRY WHITE WINE (=1,94oz)

80g PDO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO 24months (=2,82oz=¾  cup)

30g unsalted BUTTER or EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (=1,06oz=⅛ cup)

Method:

Warm meat stock or broth up.

Wash and dry the asparagus, take the final hard part away (you can add this latter to the broth to provide with some more asparagus flavour) and cut in small rounds, keeping the tips apart.

Peel the shallot and chop it finely. Pan-fry the shallot at medium-low heat in a thick-bottomed pot with the butter (or extra-virgin olive oil), always stirring so that it never burns (if it starts burning add little water).

Add the asparagus rounds (not the tips), then add the rice grains and let them toast (toasting strengthens the rice grains, making sure they do not break or soften too much) without burning them.When they look very warm, simmer with a drizzle of dry white wine. Keep stirring and once the wine is reduced, start adding ladlefuls of meat stock or vegetable broth. Do not pour it all at once: one by one adding one more only as the previous fades away. Cook for about 15 minutes (the rice has to be al dente).

In the meantime, bring little water to boil in a small saucepan and once it boils throw the asparagus tips in. Let them cook for no more than 2 minutes, then strain them.

Once the risotto is cooked, turn the fire off and add a nut of butter (I usually do not do this). Then add grated PDO Parmigiano Reggiano and mix.

I love risotto to be “all’onda” (wavy) as this means it is not too dry nor too thick. You can serve it in a plate, beating gently the bottom of the plate or slightly shaking it in order to have the asparagus risotto lay down on the bottom of the plate. Decorate with the asparagus tips.