Asparagus Risotto
25 min
Under an hour
Roman Vaněk
Ingredients
Preparation method
Cut the butter into small cubes and return to the refrigerator. Finely chop the shallot.
Bring 1.2 l of water to a boil and set aside.
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.
Chef's 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.