In the summer of 2019, my mom and I took an amazing 3-week trip to Italy, a life long dream of mine and it was so much fun experiencing Italy with my mom!
One of the stops of the trip was Tuscany, more specifically the Chianti region. One day, we were driving through the countryside after a wine tasting and came across a quaint restaurant with a great view and a cute cat sitting outside! We stopped in for lunch, and I was immediately drawn to the risotto on the menu.
I had never had a risotto before, only heard about it from Food Network, but something lead me to order it and man, I was impressed! Such a simple dish- rice, Parmesan, and asparagus essentially, but it was amazing. Creamy, rich, cheesy, with a bite coming from the asparagus. It was perfect with an Aperol Spritz and a Caprese appetizer.
When I got back from Italy, along with needing to make my own pasta immediately, I knew I needed to learn to recreate that risotto and I did!
Below is my recipe for asparagus risotto and I think it goes great on the side with almost anything- chicken breast, skirt steak, fish, or can be a complete meal on its own.
The trick to risotto is to warm up the stock, adding it in a ladel-ful at a time until fully absorbed then continuing. Patience is key with a risotto, but trust me it is worth the wait!
Asparagus Risotto
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, optional
- 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into inch long pieces
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the stock in a small saucepan and leave on the side.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan, and add chopped onion. Cook for a few minutes until soft and clear. Add in garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant.
- Add arborio rice and stir, coating rice.
- Add white wine and stir. Let cook for one minute.
- Add in warm stock, 1/2 cup at a time, and store occasionally. Once stock is mostly absorbed, add in another 1/2 cup and repeat.
- With the last ladle of stock, add the asparagus. Cook until stock is fully absorbed, rice is al dente, and remove from heat.
- Stir in Parmesan, remaining butter, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm.
Did you make this? Let me know in the comments below!