Risotto is one of my most favorite things in this world. Honestly. It’s creamy and al dente all at once. And it’s rich and filling without being too heavy. Even better…it’s so versatile. You can dress it up however you like, add a variety of flavor combinations and proteins and settle in to enjoy a warm dish of something delish.
I admit, it can be labor intensive to make, but the end product is well worth all that stirring and reducing.
I found a simple Asparagus Risotto recipe on Simply Recipes and tweaked it to make it my own. What I ended up with was delicious, filling, and quite healthy. If you aren’t a fan of asparagus, try it with a vegetable that you adore. But…mmmm…asparagus.
Recipe: Asparagus Risotto
Servings: 4
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound asparagus
- 3 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon butter
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)
- About 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or you can substitute some of the asparagus cooking water for stock)*
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper (I seasoned mine with sea salt and red pepper)
Directions:
Prepare the asparagus by breaking off and discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear).
Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces.
Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.
In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.
While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
*(Note: the stock amount given is approximate. You may need a little more or less. If you end up needing more stock and you find yourself without, just use water or the cooking water from the asparagus).
Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper (or, in my case, red pepper & red pepper flakes) to taste. Serve immediately.
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Here was the great thing about this risotto. While risotto is best on the day it is made, fresh from the pan itself, this reheated quite nicely the following evening. And once again, a delicious, healthy meal was at my fingertips. So, yes…it can be a bit time consuming to stand around in the kitchen and continually stir, but the end result is always worth it. Play around with it. Choose different vegetables. Season it however you wish. Dig in. Enjoy!
The Celiathlete 