Asparagus & Prosecco Risotto

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients 

• 300 g of Riso Gallo Carnaroli

• 30 g of grated Grana Padano

• 1 onion (finely chopped)

• 20 g of unsalted butter

• 1 litre of vegetable stock

• 100 ml of Prosecco DOC

• 20 green asparagus

• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 lemon’s zest

• 1 small bunch of pea shoots or borage flower as garnish

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Trim off the bottom ends of the asparagus stalks, the woody part. Cut off the tips and set aside to use as garnish. Chop the asparagus left and keep them for the risotto. Optionally, you can sauté a quarter of the asparagus in a warmed-up pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a clove of garlic. Add a pinch of salt and let it cook for 2 minutes. Blend well and add a splash of water if necessary. Keep this sort of asparagus sauce to enhance the flavor and creaminess of your risotto.

For the risotto. Gently fry the chopped onion in a small casserole with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 6/7 minutes on low heat until golden.

In a large casserole, start to dry toast the rice on low heat with a pinch of salt, without adding oil or fat. In this way, the heat reaches the core of each rice grain resulting in a more uniform al dente rice. Keep stirring the rice occasionally, so the rice does not catch on the bottom of the pan or burn. When the rice is very hot, pour half a glass of Prosecco DOC in. Let the alcohol evaporate, set the cooking time to 16/17 minutes and add the simmering stock a ladle at a time, little by little. Remember, the risotto needs to always have a good simmer during the cooking time. Stir the rice every now and then, and make sure the rice is always covered with stock. Keep cooking and do not stir with too much energy as it could break the rice grains.

When halfway through the cooking, add the cooked onion, the chopped asparagus and the puree.

Once the time is up, taste the risotto and if you’re happy with the texture remove it from the heat. If you want the rice a little bit softer, cook for another minute.

This step is called “mantecatura” to make the risotto creamier increasing its natural ooziness with the right gesture and movements. It is very important to carry out this step away from the heat as it could split the cheese and butter. Add the grated Grana Padano cheese and butter to the rice. Stir to incorporate extra air until the risotto is nice and creamy. At this stage I like to add an extra splash of Prosecco DOC and if the risotto dries up, you can still add a little bit of hot stock. Season to taste.

Plate the hot risotto straight away. Season the asparagus tips and place them on top of the risotto. Optionally garnish with pea shots, borage flower and lemon zest.