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Italian Asparagus Risotto Recipe
Asparagus risotto is a mouth-watering, enveloping, delicate and healthy first course.Risotto with asparagus is a classic Italian recipe that announces the arrival of spring. In fact, asparagus is the quintessential spring vegetable.Asparagus Milanese with eggs and Risotto are effectively the two most classic and popular ways of cooking asparagus in Italy.
Ingredients
- 500 g asparagus 1.1 pound
- 1.5 liters vegetable broth 6 ⅓ cups, made with carrot, celery, onion and the hard parts of the asparagus spears (read step 2)
- 1 onion small
- 320 g rice ~ 1 ⅔ cups of Carnaroli or Arborio
- 60 g butter ¼ cup, unsalted
- 60 g Parmigiano Reggiano ½ cup, grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 pinch salt
- ice
Instructions
- clean the asparagus. Rinse them under running water to remove any soil.
- Divide the asparagus into three parts. Cut off the toughest part of the stalk, which you can add to the vegetable broth. Next, cut off the asparagus tips, which are the most tender part, and set them aside. Finally, cut the rest of the stalk into rounds.
- If you have not already done it, prepare the vegetable broth according to the basic recipe. In addition to the carrot, celery and onion, you can add the hard parts of the asparagus spears to maximize the flavor of the asparagus. Cover with water (about 2 liters - 8 ½ cups) and cook, starting with cold water, for at least half an hour from boiling. You should get about 1 ½ liters of asparagus-flavored vegetable broth.
- Meanwhile, put oil in a saucepan and sauté the chopped onion for a few minutes.
- Then add the asparagus cut into rounds. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally adjust the salt.
- Then add a ladle of broth. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
- At this point, reduce the heat to low and use a skimmer to scoop out almost all of the asparagus and onion (about ¾).
- Place them in the bowl of an immersion blender. Blend with a drizzle of oil and a little salt (taste before adding it!) to make a creamy asparagus puree. This will make the risotto creamier and more colorful. Set the mashed asparagus aside.
- Add the rice and stir. Add 2 cups of broth, stir, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Whenever the risotto dries out - because it's absorbing the broth - add a cup of broth and stir, then let it simmer. You may or may not end up using all the broth. The key is to taste and adjust accordingly!
- While the rice is cooking, in a small saucepan, boil the asparagus tips in water for 2-3 minutes.
- Place them in ice to keep them nice and bright and crisp. Set aside.
- Towards the end of the rice cooking, after about 15 minutes, add the asparagus cream and mix well. If necessary, add another half cup of broth. The risotto should be creamy and al dente (taste, taste and then taste!).
- At the end of the cooking time, which usually takes 18 minutes for Carnaroli and Arborio rice, turn off the heat and stir in the butter and grated Parmigiano.
- Add the asparagus tips and stir. Set some tips aside to decorate the dish.
- Serve the asparagus risotto piping hot, garnishing the plates with some asparagus tips and, if you like, more grated Parmigiano cheese.
Notes
PLEASE NOTE: To find out how much asparagus stalk to discard, simply bend the asparagus. It will break at the junction of the softer and leathery parts. Also, if the stalk is very thick, you may want to peel it with a vegetable peeler to remove the harder outer part.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 575kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 14gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 1844mgPotassium: 402mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2231IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 240mgIron: 4mg
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