Recipe for Asparagus Risotto

Nothing says “spring is here” quite like asparagus season! One of my favourite vegetables, I love it grilled with hollondaise sauce, in soups, in salads, and anything in between! Asparagus risotto is one of my top ways of eating it though: it brings back many happy memories of visits to Italy. Find my easy recipe for asparagus risotto below.

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches asparagus, chopped into 1 cm pieces (green preferred, but white works too)

300 g arborio rice

1 large shallot, finely chopped (or 1 small onion, finely chopped)

1.3 L boiling chicken stock (alternatively, use same volume of boiling water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes)

125 ml dry white wine (optional)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp Herbes de Provence

50g-100g freshly grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

2 knobs of butter

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Steam asparagus in a pot of water until lightly softened. Set aside asparagus and water.
  2. Melt a knob of butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add shallots. Cook with lid on until shallots are translucent.
  3. Add rice and stir until the grains look glassy. Add garlic and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the herbs.
  4. Pour in white wine and stir. Let cook until wine is absorbed. Skip this step if you do not want to use wine.
  5. Add the asparagus and the asparagus water.
  6. Add in a ladleful of chicken stock and stir. Continue adding chicken stock ladle-by-ladle and carefully stirring until all of it is absorbed. Rice should be al dente and creamy.
  7. Add parmesan and the other knob of butter and stir until it is completely mixed.
  8. Serve with parmesan on top… or treat yourself to a little truffle pecorino. It is delicious by itself or alongside salmon. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6. For leftovers, reheat with a few spoonfuls of chicken stock and butter. Alternatively, you can turn leftovers into arancini.