Lemon and Asparagus Risotto
As my mother would say, “this one’s a keeper”. I love risotto. I like it in the winter…. in the spring…. any season. The texture is silky and oh, so comforting. Once you get the hang of making a base risotto you can adjust the add-ins to vary the dish. In the winter months I like to use roasted root vegetables. But, when spring comes along I prefer to lighten the dish with lemon and green vegetables like I’ve done here.
Recently I’ve had a love affair with Meyer lemons, and I’ve been incorporating them into everything. They are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin which means they taste a little sweeter than a regular lemon. They are still too tart to peel and eat like an orange, but sweet enough that your face doesn’t pucker at the taste. In this recipe they add a nice fresh flavor.
Risotto is a great side dish, but because it is filling you can get away with serving it as a main dish if you load on extra vegetables or incorporate some sausage. I also add cheese in the final steps because it helps thicken the risotto and adds a bit of a tangy taste.
Get your stirring arm ready and grab a cocktail to keep you company because risotto does take some patience. But once the rice starts to soften and thicken you’ll agree that its worth the extra time.
Lemon and Asparagus Risotto Recipe
Serves 4 (as a side dish).
Ingredients
- 8-10 asparagus springs (more or less to taste)
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup white wine (room temperature)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 and 1/2 ounce or 1/3 cup havarti cheese or other soft cheese (approximate amount)
- 1 and 1/2 Tbsp Mayer lemon juice
- 1-2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- Lemon zest
Directions
Asparagus
- Wash and rinse the asparagus. Snap off the end (it often tastes tough). Do this by bending the end of the asparagus stalk with your fingers and it will break. Chop the asparagus into large pieces, keeping the tips as one piece so they don’t fall apart.
- Bring a small pot to a boil, and add the asparagus. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- While the asparagus cooks, fill a bowl with ice and water. When you remove the asparagus add it directly to the ice bath.
- Leave the asparagus in the ice bath until it cools. Then drain and allow the asparagus to dry.
Rice
- Add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock to a saucepan (using the same one from the asparagus is fine). Heat until the stock becomes warm and then keep on low heat.
- Peel and dice 1 sweet onion and mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.
- In a large skillet melt 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of rice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the 1/2 cup white wine and stir until it is absorbed. (You want the wine to be room temperature so it doesn’t reduce the temperature of your pan.)
- Keep the skillet on a low to medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of the warm stock and stir using a wooden spoon or spatula. I prefer to stir from the outside of the skillet folding the rice in on itself as I circle the pan. This way you cover the entire skillet and ensure the rice is not sticking.
- When the liquid is almost fully absorbed, add an additional 1/2 cup of warm stock. Continue stirring the entire time as the liquid is absorbed.
- Continue adding all of the stock in batches. You want the rice to start to puff and be a consistent color through the entire grain. It takes about 35-40 minutes. Don’t be tempted to add all of the liquid at once. The slow cooking process releases the starch from the rice creating the smooth texture. Taste a grain of rice if you think it’s done. If there is still a crunch – keep adding liquid.
- When the rice looks done or just about done, stir in the Havarti cheese (or other soft cheese).
- Stir in 1 and 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, the asparagus pieces, and 1-2 Tbsp grated Parmesan. Cook until the asparagus is warmed through and the cheese has melted.
- Serve with chopped fresh parsley, squeeze of lemon juice, and lemon zest.
If you are looking to lighten the calories, you can reduce or eliminate the cheese. Slow cooking arborio rice releases starch which gives it a silky, creamy texture. The cheese is there to add an extra layer of flavor that is not necessary to achieve the smooth risotto texture.
If you plan to substitute seasoned vegetables or incorporate a meat such as sausage or pancetta that already has a salty flavor you can reduce or eliminate the extra salt that is in this recipe.
If you like this recipe, check out my Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto.
Use the Extra Ingredients
If you have extra dry white wine that you don’t plan on drinking, save it in the refrigerator to use for deglazing your skillet in another recipe such as a stir fry or pasta sauce.
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