Lemon Asparagus Risotto
Zesty lemon asparagus risotto. This delicious and impressive dish is perfect for your next dinner party, family meal, or even pot luck.
ESTIMATED COST : $5.85, or $1.46 a serve
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams, 1.58 ounces) butter
- 1 small (120 grams, 4.23 ounces) brown onion finely chopped
- 80 grams (2.80 ounces) asparagus fresh or canned
- 1 cup (195 grams, 6.88 ounces) arborio rice
- ½ cup (125 ml/grams, 4.41 ounces) white wine
- 3 cups (750ml/grams, 26.45 ounces) chicken stock (or vegetable broth) slightly heated
- 3 tablespoons (20 grams, 0.71 ounces) parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or to taste
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest plus extra to serve
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Wash and trim your asparagus. Then cut your asparagus into small strips, about 2 – 3 cm (0.78 inch – 1.18 inch) long. Set aside.
- In a wide medium sized saucepan, saute 2 tablespoons of butter, and chopped onion, over medium heat, until the onions are lightly browned.
- Add the cut fresh asparagus and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes. See note 1.
- Mix through the arborio rice and saute until lightly golden brown. This should take about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Next, add the white wine and cook until almost all the liquid is gone from the saucepan.
- Over low to medium heat, add about ½ cup (125 ml) of stock to the rice mixture. Gently stir the rice through the mixture constantly until almost all the liquid has absorbed.
- Repeat until all the stock has been used up and the rice is soft and tender.
- Remove rice from heat, mix through the grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest, remaining butter, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Allow the rice to sit for 1 to 2 minutes with a lid on.
- Serve, garnished with freshly chopped parsley, and a sprinkle of extra lemon zest if desired.
Notes
- If you are using canned asparagus, do not add it now. Instead add it when you add the parmesan cheese. This is because canned asparagus is typically softer than fresh asparagus.
- Give the risotto some time to rest: After the risotto is finished cooking, give it some time to rest before serving. As a result, the flavors can strengthen and the risotto gets even creamier.
- Use hot broth: When making risotto, it's crucial to use hot broth to keep the rice at the right temperature and ensure that it cooks evenly.
- Regularly stir the risotto: This gives the dish its distinctive creamy texture by assisting in the release of the starch from the rice.
- Add the broth in ladles at a time, waiting for the rice to soak up each batch before adding the next. This makes it easier to control how the rice cooks and keeps the dish from getting too soggy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serveCalories: 337kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 10gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 393mgPotassium: 374mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5g
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