Sun, 13/05/2012
RISOTTO ALLA CREMA DI ASPARAGI
1 litre of vegetable stock (2 carrots, 1 leek, celery etc.)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
300g of asparagus
25g of butter
100 g of goat cheese or mascarpone cheese
2 cups of Arborio rice
1/2 cup of chopped shallots
1 glass of white dry wine
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmiggiano cheese
salt
peper
1 Prepare the vegetable stock. I never use instant ones. It takes only 5 minutes more to make a proper one and I think it's worth it.
2 Prepare the asparagus by breaking off the tough ends (about 2 cm of the spear). Cut into 3 cm pieces (tips longer, base shorter). Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for about 10-12 minutes until tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces from the pan. Add the remaining asparagus water to the vegetable stock.
3 Blend the asparagus (leaving the tops for decoration) with 3 spoons of vegetable stock, 100g of mascarpone or goat cheese. Set aside.
4 Melt 20 g of butter with the olive oil (2 tblspoons) in the saucepan, add the onion and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Then stir in the rice and cook, stirring continuously, until the grains are coated in fat.
5 Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add a ladleful of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring until it has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 min.
6 When the rice is almost tender stir in the asparagus cream and the asparagus tips.
Let it cook for few minutes more. Then turn off the heat and let it rest for about 2 minutes. You can decorate the plates with slices of strawberries and Parmigiano.