Asparagus Risotto
A delicious, easy asparagus risotto recipe with homemade vegetable stock. Perfect for a Spring midweek supper.
Print
Pin
Servings: people
Equipment
- 1 large shallow heavy-based pan
Ingredients
Risotto
- 500 g asparagus
- 240 g Carnaroli rice or similar
- 1 large yellow onion, very finely chopped
- 60 g butter
- small glass wine (about 80 ml)
- 1.5 litres vegetable stock (see below)
- 50 - 60 g grated parmesan (use the fine side of the grater)
- generous handful broad leaf parsely - roughly chopped - add the stalks to the vegetable stock
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- olive oil and butter
Vegetable Stock
- 1 large carrot - roughly chopped
- 1 large onion - roughly chopped
- 1 small leek - sliced into 2 or 3 pieces
- 1 rib celery - sliced into 2 or 3 pieces
- 1 small potato
- 2 cloves garlic - lightly crushed
- stalks from the parsely
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 or 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Step One - Vegetable stock
- Add all the ingredients into a large saucepan with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 45 minutes.
Step Two - Asparagus
- Trim the asparagus tips (cut a couple of cm below the bud). This will leave you with the main stem and woody base. Trim away the woody stem, leaving you with the green stems.
- When the vegetable stock is ready, scoop out the vegetables. Bring the stock back to a boil.
- Cook the asparagus tips in the stock for about a minute, cover them to keep warm and set aside.
- In the same stock, cook the asparagus stems for about 3-4 minutes (depending on their thickness). You want them soft enough to puree.
- In a food processor or mini blender, puree the asparagus stems with the parsley and a little of the vegetable stock and ¼ tsp salt. It should be thick but pourable. Set aside.
- The stock is now ready for the risotto - cover and keep warm.
Final Step - Risotto
- Saute the finely chopped onions in butter and a dash of olive oil. Leave them to soften and become translucent but not caramelised or browned.
- Add the rice. When it starts to sizzle and is translucent but NOT brown, add the wine. Once the wine has evaporated, add a generous ladle or cup of hot stock and ¾ tsp salt. (Re-heat the stock if it has cooled too much.)
- Stir occasionally and cook until the stock begins to evaporate. Keep adding stock and evaporating until the rice is swollen and 'al dente'. Each time you add the stock, it must cover the rice - so it cooks evenly.
- Stir in the asparagus puree, butter, cheese, and lemon zest. Add a generous grating of black pepper. Stir well to dissolve the cheese and release the starch for a perfect creamy risotto.
- Gently stir in the asparagus tips and check for seasoning. Heat for about a minute to warm through. Add a little more stock if necessary. The final result is 'al dente' rice, with a loose but creamy texture. Cover and leave to stand for 3-5 minutes.
- Serve with a fine grating of cheese. Garnish with lemon and parsley or dill. Lemon juice is a delicious addition, but it needs to be squeezed at the last minute to prevent the asparagus from losing its vibrant green colour. You can also drizzle with a little extra olive oil!