Asparagus Risotto with Gorgonzola and Shallots

How to prepare the broth and asparagus

In spring, when asparagus is literally everywhere, making asparagus risotto is easy, because you do not have to hunt for it. Out of season it is also on sale, but at the price of platinum. Buy young spears of a pleasant green color. In my opinion they are the best for risotto. Buy only fresh asparagus, firm, with closed tips. White or green, but not purple, which is a little bitter.

If you want a piquant, slightly sharp dish, buy a piece of good gorgonzola. For a “creamy” taste, use a different cheese. The most available risotto rice is arborio. If you bought another type of Italian rice, be prepared for it to need more liquid.

1. Prepare about 1 l of vegetable broth, unless you plan to use plain water: simmer a carrot, an onion and soup roots, fresh or dried, in 1.5 l of water for 15-20 mins. Since the dish is vegetarian, do not use chicken broth. Leave the pot of broth on low heat.

2. Prepare and fry the asparagus. Wash the spears, pat them dry with a paper towel and cut off the very bottom, which is quite tough and fibrous. Trim 2-3 cm and leave the spears whole. Fry the asparagus in hot olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned, then transfer the spears to a plate.

   Recipes almost always suggest flavoring the olive oil with 1-2 cloves of garlic. But to keep the delicate taste of the asparagus in the risotto, it is better not to.

   

How to fry the rice

3. Stirring, fry the finely chopped shallots in the same oil, in a skillet or pot, until soft and just starting to turn golden.

   

4. Add the arborio rice, which is not rinsed before use. Pour the rice into the skillet and stir well so that the grains are coated with a film of oil.

5. Reduce the heat to below medium and, without covering the skillet, pour in 100 ml (half a cup) of dry white wine. This is the first liquid the rice has to absorb.

   

How to cook risotto

6. Using a small ladle, pour slightly simmering vegetable broth into the risotto, stirring. Add the next portion only after the rice has absorbed the previous one. With arborio you usually need 4 cups of broth (800 ml) or more, and cooking takes about 18-20 minutes. The rice should be done: soft, slightly swollen, with barely perceptible firmness in the very center of the grains.

   Risotto is not pilaf and not a thick porridge. It should have a creamy consistency, with clearly visible grains of rice, and it should “flow”. Not for nothing do Italians use the term all’onda, meaning wave or close to a wave, which implies the fluidity and softness of the dish. This is important.

   

7. When the rice is almost ready, add the asparagus. We usually cut off the tips of the spears to decorate the finished dish and cut the stalks into pieces 1.5-2 cm long.

8. When the risotto is perfect, turn off the heat, salt the dish with a pinch of salt, just a little, and season with ground white pepper. Crumble the gorgonzola with your fingers, or just grate it if you can. Add the cheese to the rice and stir thoroughly until the gorgonzola has completely dissolved into the risotto.

   For a creamy taste, add a piece of butter to the risotto instead of gorgonzola. By the way, at one time we added a little heavy cream, and it turned out fine, but real butter is much better.

Serving

9. Divide the finished asparagus risotto among plates. You can put the asparagus tips on top. Often you will want to add more pepper, so do not hold back. Serve while the risotto is hot.

   

   Sometimes a little lemon juice and zest are added to dishes like this with asparagus. Be careful with that, because lemon has a very intense taste and aroma, and the main component of the dish will get lost in it.