Today I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes, Spring Asparagus Risotto, by Thug Kitchen. I’ve made this one for quite a few years now, and it has just recently made it’s way back into our weekly dinner rotation.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cloves minced garlic (I just do a big spoonful of already minced garlic)
2 cups Arborio Rice
1 cup white wine (I use 1 cup water)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (I use lemon juice)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 cup minced chives (I don’t use these)
Pepper to taste
Warm up veggie broth in large pot until gently simmers then turn off heat. (I skip this step if my veggie broth hadn’t been refrigerated yet) Chop up the onion, garlic, and asparagus. You’ll want the asparagus in pieces about an inch long. Throw out the tough ends.
In a large skillet, or pot with wide bottom, heat up the 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute them around until they start to look kind of golden, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and rice and saute until the rice smells toasted and starts looking like it absorbed some of the oil, about 2 more minutes. This helps make the risotto all creamy so don’t skip this step! Add the white wine and salt to the pot and cook until most of the wine has evaporated, like a minute or 2.
Add 3 cups warm broth, stir, and lower the heat so that the pot is at a slow simmer, uncovered. Stir every couple of minutes until most of the broth has absorbed into the rice, about 5-8 minutes. Then add another 3 cups of warm broth, stir and simmer for another 7 minutes. Now dump in the asparagus and about 1 more cup of broth and cook until it’s tender and the rice looks like it’s sitting in a creamy gravy, about 5 more minutes. If it starts to look dry before everything else is done cooking just add more broth, 1/4 cup at a time.
When the rice and asparagus taste done (not mushy), turn off the heat. Add lemon zest, remaining oil, half the chives, and some pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Top with remaining chives. Serve right away.
This is a great side dish. I hope you enjoy!