Risotto with asparagus, step by step recipe

The asparagus risotto it is a very versatile and genuine first course, suitable for serving during informal and formal dinners, with a creamy and enveloping consistency. The preparation is very simple, with some tricks on cleaning the asparagus, one of the most aromatic spring vegetables and rich in vitamins and mineral salts, ideal for bringing many benefits to the body. The trick to make asparagus risotto really very creamy and velvety it is blending a part of the asparagus, as well as creaming at the end with parmesan and cold butter from the fridge. In the case of our recipe, there is also an initial preparation of a light broth, as an alternative to vegetable broth. And if asparagus is your passion and you are looking for a tasty way to eat it with pasta, try our baked pasta with asparagus and taleggio cheese!

Ingredients for 4 people

Asparagus: 500 g
Risotto rice: 300 g
Onion: 1
Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tbsp
Butter: 40g
White wine: 30ml
Salt to taste
Parmesan: 50g
Cold butter for creaming: 30 g
Celery: 1 rib
Water: 2 litres

Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Calories: 365 kcal/person

METHOD

To prepare risotto with asparagus, start with the preparation of a light vegetable broth. Pour the water into a large pot, peel half an onion, wash the celery and add all the vegetables to the pot with the water. Bring it to the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Clean the asparagus by cutting the hardest and most leathery end part of a light color.

Cut half of the asparagus stems into pieces and wash them under running water.

Add the stem pieces to the broth and add a little salt. In the meantime, prepare a second pot full of water and bring it to the heat.

Cut the rest of the asparagus into rounds, keeping all the tips aside, after having rinsed them with cold running water.

Pour the asparagus slices into the boiling water and blanch them for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the other half of the onion.

Finely chop it with a knife or crescent.

Pour the onion into a pan together with the oil and butter. Fry over low heat until it is slightly wilted, then add the seared asparagus slices.

Add a ladle of the asparagus cooking water, add salt and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the asparagus tips to the same boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then drain them with a slotted spoon and temporarily set them aside on a plate.

Transfer the sautéed asparagus slices into the blender jug, then add two ladles of cooking water and blend everything to obtain a cream.

Pour the risotto rice into the pan where you cooked the washers and let it toast for 5 minutes, then add about 3 ladles of broth and let it cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Add the asparagus tips and the cream obtained with the stems to the rice with the broth.

Season with salt and continue cooking, stirring often, calculating the time indicated on the rice packaging. If the risotto gets too dry, add a few more ladles of broth.

When cooked, remove from the heat, add the cold butter and the grated Parmesan. Stir and serve immediately, garnishing with two asparagus tips.

Advice and tips

You can use the variety of risotto rice you prefer, such as Vialone nano or Carnaroli, but also Roma, Arborio, Baldo and S. Andrea.

You can customize your asparagus risotto by adding different ingredients, such as sweet bacon or Speck sticks browned in a pan, to give a more savory touch. Even the creaming can be made more delicious with the use of a tasty semi-hard cheese, such as Fontina.

If you can’t find fresh asparagus you can also use frozen asparagus, even if the final result will be less tasty.

The stem of the asparagus can be very tough. To figure out how far to cut it, you can try breaking the asparagus which will naturally split at the soft point just before the leathery part. You can also cut less and peel the asparagus with a potato peeler, in order to remove the hardest part and soften it.