I did a blog on mushroom risotto a while back but I have never mentioned my asparagus one. In fact, I make this one more and love to eat it as a comfort food meal. It is just so tasty and it is like eating a cosy hug. Risotto is the perfect meal to just relax you whilst cooking and watching the magic happen.
Recipe (serves 2)
- 120g Arborio rice
- 1 – 1 ½ pints of boiling water
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 200g fresh asparagus
- 1 large celery stick, peeled and diced into small cubes
- ½ large onion or 1 small onion, peeled and diced into small cubes
- small handful of fresh basil or sage roughly chopped
- 2-3 large squeezes of lemon juice from a bottle, or ½ a lemon
- 1 large clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- Avocado oil for frying
- 100g grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Place about a tablespoon of avocado oil in a deep pan and heat. Avocado oil has a high smoke point of around 270oC and so this means that it doesn’t burn as easily as olive oil and is in fact better to cook with. The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is around 160o
- Fry the onions and celery until soft and tender. You may want to use a lid to steam them slightly. Add more oil if required, so the vegetables do not burn.
- Cut the asparagus tips off. Then cut circular slices off the rest of the stalk until you reach the chewy stalk bit. Asparagus should snap where it is more pleasant to eat (the ends are quite bitter).
- Add the asparagus at this stage and fry for a few minutes (not too long as it will overcook). Also add the garlic.
- Fry the risotto rice with the mixture to toast the grains slightly.
- Mix one stock cube with 1 pint of boiling water and gradually add this to the pan until the rice absorbs it all. Make sure to stir in the thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Do this whilst the stock is being absorbed.
- Add another ½ pint of boiling water gradually if needed.
- Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve in pasta bowls or elegantly on plates.
This is one of my favourite meals to make and eat. It is so therapeutic and I just love cheese so it is the perfect dish for me. You also can’t go wrong with asparagus! Mmmm….
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