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Asparagus Risotto

4 SERVINGS
Under an hour

Buy all ingredients right below the recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 stalks of green asparagus
  • 250 g risotto rice
  • 100 g chilled butter
  • 30 g peeled shallot
  • 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 80 ml dry white wine
  • 70 g finely grated Parmesan
  • freshly ground pepper
  • salt

WINE PAIRING

  • You can best prepare your taste buds at the beginning of the meal with a refreshing sparkling wine.

METHOD

  • 1
    Cut the butter into small cubes and return to the refrigerator. Finely chop the shallot.
  • 2
    Bring 1.2 l of water to a boil and set aside.
  • 3
    From the cleaned asparagus, cut off the tips 4 cm long and set aside. From the lower part of the asparagus, cut off 2 cm and discard. Cut the remaining asparagus into 0.5 cm thick rounds.
  • 4
    In a saucepan or larger pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
  • 5
    Add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. While stirring, scrape the rice from the sides of the pot. Then pour in all the wine at once and, stirring constantly, let it completely evaporate from the pot.
  • 6
    Reduce the heat to less than half, add the sliced asparagus, lightly salt, and pour in about 100 ml of hot water, or just enough to cover the rice. Stirring frequently, let the water almost evaporate.
  • 7
    Once the water has almost evaporated, add another portion of water, again just enough to cover the rice. Let it evaporate again and continue this process until the rice is cooked al dente (to the bite). This usually takes 16–20 minutes. Stir very frequently!
  • 8
    When the last portion of water has half evaporated and the rice is soft to the bite, remove from heat, stir in the Parmesan, and gradually stir in the cubes of chilled butter, followed by 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
  • 9
    If the risotto is too thick, thin it with a little hot water. Stir until a creamy risotto forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let rest for 1 minute. Stir again.
  • 10
    Cut the asparagus tips lengthwise in half. In a pan over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the asparagus, and sauté, stirring constantly, for 1.5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to each serving of risotto.
Tip
BEFORE YOU START PREPARING ITALIAN RISOTTO Rice cooked "al dente" means "to the bite". Overcooked or mushy rice makes the dish much heavier and less digestible. If the risotto is too thick and dry, add a little hot broth and stir thoroughly. When sautéing the shallot at the beginning of preparation, be careful not to let it brown or even darken. The risotto would then taste strongly of shallot. Italians say, "let the shallot just sweat," meaning as soon as you smell the shallot while stirring, add the rice and continue with the preparation. Once you start adding cheese and butter, you must no longer cook the dish. You would boil away the remaining liquid and the risotto would be greasy. This way, the fat combines with the liquid into a creamy emulsion. Unlike our Czech rizoto, which is dry and uses a different type of rice, true Italian risotto must have a creamy consistency. This is provided by liquid (water) and fat (butter or oil). Instead of water, you can use vegetable broth, but it should be weak enough not to overpower the delicate taste of asparagus. In that case, do not discard the asparagus trimmings; boil them in the broth for 10 minutes. Then discard them.
Roman Vaněk
Together with Rohlik, we've put together a selection of the most popular recipes from my cookbooks and paired them with the right ingredients. Let us know how your meal turned out #rohlikchef

INGREDIENTS

WINE PAIRING