Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto
I love cooking risotto and one of my favorite risottos of all times is this Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto - deliciously creamy thanks to the parmesan and nice and crunchy thanks to the asparagus. I try to stay away from cream when making risotto as I try to make it as healthy as possible but you can feel free to add some in the end to make it even creamier (a drizzle will be enough). When it comes to the parmesan I like to buy a piece of parmesan and grate it myself as I feel it’s a lot tastier than the already grated parmesan you buy at the supermarket.
This risotto can also be made with added cheese such as taleggio if you really like cheese and want an added taste. The taleggio should be added at the same time you add the asparagus and parmesan.
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients for 4 portions:
Carnaroli Rice - 350g
White Onion - 1 medium
White Wine - 100 ml
Butter - 20 g
Vegetable Broth - 1L
Parmesan - 200g
Optional:
Taleggio Cheese - 70g
Preparation:
Let's start making our asparagus and parmesan risotto by cutting the onion in small pieces and washing and cutting our asparagus (make sure you cut the ends off).
Heat up your vegetable broth in a small pot so that it is ready for when you cook the rice.
In a pan heat some olive oil and cook the asparagus for around 10 minutes at medium heat (it needs to be nice and crispy). Salt and pepper them. Put away for later.
Take a cooking pot and start by heating some oil and throwing the onions in. Once you have cooked the onions for around 2-3 minutes add the rice and stirring regularly let it cook for around 1 minute. Next, add the white wine and stir until it has evaporated.
Once the wine has evaporated you can start adding vegetable broth - always add enough broth to cover the rice but never too much. You will keep stirring and adding water, letting the rice cook for around 20 minutes (depending on what it says on the package, most risottos are ready in 20-22 minutes).
It’s important to never stop stirring when making risotto in order for it not to get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
When the risotto has been cooking for around 15 minutes add 3/4 of the asparagus (keep the tips for decorating) and the grated parmesan. Keep stirring, you can even add water if you feel like the risotto is drying up. Keep tasting the risotto and add salt and pepper if you feel like they are missing (parmesan is already quite salty so I recommend you add salt only after you have added the parmesan).
Once the 20/22 minutes have passed your risotto will be ready for plating (always use a flat plate for risotto). Drizzle the some more parmesan on top and add the asparagus tips and voilà :)