Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Serves 4
- 1 bunch green asparagus
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion or shallot
- 360g (1¾ cups) risotto rice
- 1 glass (250ml/1 cup) white wine
- 1.3L (5½ cups) vegetable broth or warm water
- 50g (½ cup) parmesan
- Salt, pepper
- truffle shavings (optional)
Start by making an asparagus cream. Cut the asparagus into sections and reserve the tips for the end. Put the sections in a saucepan and sauté for a few minutes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When lightly golden, add water just to cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the sections are tender.
Meanwhile, finely mince the onion or shallot.
After about 10 minutes, the asparagus water should be mostly evaporated and the asparagus should be tender—a knife tip should go in easily. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then blend in a blender with a little water to get a smooth cream. It’s important to blend long enough to achieve a silky texture, not stringy.
In a saucepan, toast the rice and shallot in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When translucent, deglaze with a glass of white wine. Once the wine has evaporated, add the vegetable broth a few ladles at a time over medium heat for 18-20 minutes, adding more broth as needed and stirring regularly with a wooden spoon until the risotto is tender but not mushy. Toward the end of cooking, place the asparagus tips on top to cook slightly. (I remove them afterward to add back when serving.)
Add the asparagus cream to the risotto, reduce heat to very low, and mix well. Everything should be creamy. Sprinkle with parmesan, adjust seasoning, mix, and plate with the rice topped with asparagus tips.
Tips and Variations
- For risotto as a main course, plan on about 80-90g (⅓-½ cup) raw rice per person. As a side dish, about 60g (¼ cup). And roughly three times as much broth.
- The broth or water must be warm so it doesn’t stop the risotto from cooking, otherwise you’ll be there forever…
- For an even more festive touch, and if you like it, you can add truffle shavings when serving.
- For a vegan version, omit the parmesan and replace butter with olive oil.