Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus is a versatile vegetable that I love. It can be the star of its own dish, or it can be a tasty and healthy complement to a large variety of dishes. Its hearty, earthy flavor puts it in the heavyweight category of vegetables but it has a very delicate flavor. 

Like most green veggies, asparagus is packed with nutritional properties and can find its way into just about any dietary lifestyle.

Although asparagus used to be a purely seasonal vegetable, now can be found all year round in almost all grocery stores. 

If you want to know more about asparagus and its properties, you can read more in my below post.

Discovering our food: asparagus

Delicate in flavor and soft in texture, risotto with asparagus is a simple but refined first course, which is suitable for many occasions, even the most special ones such as a romantic dinner for two, which we have every evening.

By carefully following only a few easy steps, you’ll make a simple but refined and exquisite vegetarian dish, which enhances the delicious taste of a much loved and versatile vegetable: asparagus.

Cooking risotto is a typical Italian preparation. Only in Italy, in fact, is the rice brought slowly to cook with the addition of a little broth at a time.

Ingredients for 2 person:

  • 3 green asparagus trimmed, cut into rings
  • 1 glass of Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 20 g of butter
  • 1 litre hot vegetable broth
  • grated Grana Padano or Pamersan Cheese
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • 100ml white wine (optional)
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 5 min
Cooking: 30-35 minutes
Portions: 2

Directions:

Start by preparing the vegetable broth. 

I usually don’t have enough time to prepare my broth at home from scraps but I like to use a good vegetable stock cubes. Is easy and very fast. 

Just bring to boil water and put inside the stock cubes and voila, the vegetable broth is ready. Usually it goes 1 stock cube to 1 litre of water but you need to follow the indications mentioned on the box of stock cubes.

Tip: For additional flavour add into the broth the woody ends off the asparagus stalks.

Trim the asparagus

Before cutting your fresh asparagus, you’ll need to wash it thoroughly to remove any dirt. Dirt is usually found toward the bottom of the plant but sometimes also at the top of the stalks. Rinse the asparagus stalks with cold water and dry them with a paper towel. 

After that, remove the white, woody ends of the asparagus stalks. These are the fibrous, chewy bits that you don’t want to bite into but you can add them into your stock for additional flavor.

Lay your asparagus on the cutting board so that the ends line up evenly. Cut off the woody part and continue to cut the rest of the asparagus stalks into rounds.

Tip: If the stalk is extra woody or thick, you may want to peel it as well before cutting the rounds. This usually applies to asparagus stalks that are thicker than average. 

Now is time for the risotto.

In a large pan heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and add the rice stirring until is nicely coated. 

When the rice starts to get toasted, stir in the wine, if using – it will evaporate almost immediately then add the broth one ladleful at the time, continuing to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, then add another ladleful. 

Add also the asparagus and continue to add one ladleful of vegetable broth at the time, and stirring almost constantly, until the rice is “al dente” or tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes.

Tips: 

  • Remember that a risotto prepared with the wrong rice … is not a risotto! Use only Carnaroli or Arborio rice. 
  • Don’t wash the rice! The floury patina is not a defect of the grain, but a characteristic that contains important substances that guarantee the compactness of the grain during cooking.
  • Toast the rice well. It is an important phase in the preparation of risotto.

Time for the creaminess 

Turn off the heat. Add the grated parmesan cheese and butter and give the risotto a thorough stir to incorporate the butter and cheese, add salt to taste if needed and serve straight away. 

Note: The vegetable 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.

I simply love it!

Asparagus risotto

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Delicate in flavor and soft in texture, risotto with asparagus is a simple but refined first course, which is suitable for many occasions, even the most special ones such as a romantic dinner for two.

Credit: http://www.popsiclesociety.com

Ingredients

  • 3 green asparagus trimmed, cut into rings
  • 1 glass of Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 20 g of butter
  • 1 litre hot vegetable broth
  • grated Grana Padano or Pamersan Cheese
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • 100ml white wine (optional)

Directions

  1. Start by preparing the vegetable broth
    2. Just bring to boil water and put inside the stock cubes and voila, the vegetable broth is ready.
  2. Trim the asparagus
    3. Before cutting your fresh asparagus, you’ll need to wash it thoroughly to remove any dirt. Dirt is usually found toward the bottom of the plant but sometimes also at the top of the stalks. Rinse the asparagus stalks with cold water and dry them with a paper towel. After that, remove the white, woody ends of the asparagus stalks. These are the fibrous, chewy bits that you don’t want to bite into but you can add them into your stock for additional flavor. Lay your asparagus on the cutting board so that the ends line up evenly. Cut off the woody part and continue to cut the rest of the asparagus stalks into rounds.
  3. Now is time for the risotto
    4. In a large pan heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and add the rice stirring until is nicely coated. When the rice starts to get toasted, stir in the wine, if using – it will evaporate almost immediately then add the broth one ladleful at the time, continuing to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, then add another ladleful. Add also the asparagus and continue to add one ladleful of vegetable broth at the time, and stirring almost constantly, until the rice is “al dente” or tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes.
  4. Time for the creaminess
    5. Turn off the heat. Add the grated parmesan cheese and butter and give the risotto a thorough stir to incorporate the butter and cheese, add salt to taste if needed and serve straight away. Note: The vegetable 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.

    Course: First Course, Author: Ribana, Cooking Time: 30 minutes


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41 thoughts

  4. Ribana, when Jack and I come over to your place for dinner – please could we have some asparagus risotto – I can tell you we would love it! Especially me!

    Reply

  6. Rice Rice rice 🤓 A touch of South India, or maybe other countries too 😂. Looks delicious, ☺️ The difference is we usually make a gravy and rice separately 😁 this is together 😃 and that why we have this name 😉 Lovely recipe for a weekend ✨🙋 Have a Lovely weekend 😻💐😍

    Reply

    1. Thank you very much Simon! Yes, in Northern Italy rice is pretty common 😉 We enjoy a good risotto with pretty much everything 😉 Far away countries but similar habits 😉
      Hope your weekend was great! Wish you a lovely week ahead Simon! 😉🤗

      Reply

      3. Rice was all time food for south indians, now we know that it’s not healthy to eat rice when we sit all day, it’s for people that works in the sun not for us 😁

  12. We have an asparagus patch in our garden. We never really do anything with it and year after year it gives us masses of delicious asparagus. I am copying some of your recipes for next year.

    Reply

  13. We use rice at lunch time accompanied with curries, fried rice, biriyani etc so we can’t avoid rice but this is an amazing new asparagus flavored risotto !! 👌😃💌

    Reply

      1. Adding minimum quantity of rice with other ingredients brings out an aroma and will make a healthy diet I think !! 🤗
        Have a great day friend 💕!!

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