Authentic Italian Asparagus Risotto (Risotto agli Asparagi)
Asparagus risotto is a mouth-watering, enveloping, delicate and healthy first course.
Ingredients
Instructions
- First, rinse the asparaagus under running water to remove any soil.
- Divide the asparagus into three parts; to find out how much asparagus stalk to discard, simply bend the asparagus and it will break at the junction of the softer and leathery parts.
- 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.
- Put oil in a saucepan and sauté the chopped onion for a few minutes.
- Add the asparagus rounds; cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally; adjust the salt, to taste; 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; around 75%.
- Place them in the bowl of an immersion blender; blend with a drizzle of oil and a little salt to make a creamy asparagus puree; this will make the risotto creamier and more colorful; set the mashed asparagus aside.
- Add the rice; toast it and continue cooking at medium heat, adding broth as the rice absorbs it; cook for about 15 minutes; stirring ocassionally.
- Add 1 ladle of broth, stir, and cook, over medium heat, for 15 minutes.
- Whenever the risotto dries out – because it’s absorbing the broth – add a ladle 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, using a small saucepan, boil the asparagus tips in water for 2 – 3 minutes; place in a bowl of ice to keep bright and crisp; set aside.
- Towards the end of the rice cooking, after about 15 minutes, add the asparagus cream; mix well; if necessary, add another half ladle of broth; the risotto should be creamy and al dente.
- 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 (set some tips aside to decorate the dish) and stir.
- Serve the asparagus risotto piping hot, garnishing the plates with asparagus tips and, if you like, more grated Parmigiano cheese.
Notes
Like all risotto recipes, even Asparagus Risotto is an express preparation, that is to say, it must be prepared and eaten immediately; it is not a dish that can be prepared in advance.
If you have leftovers, you can store asparagus risotto for 2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
