How to Cook Risotto with Grilled Asparagus

Serves: 3

Ingredients needed to make risotto with grilled asparagus:

For the risotto:

• 1 ½ cups arborio rice
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 1 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
• Salt to taste

For the grilled asparagus:

• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1-2 tsp olive oil

Cooking instructions for risotto with grilled asparagus:

• Pour the chicken stock into a medium-sized saucepan and heat it to a simmer before reducing the flame to heat it further.
• Drizzle oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and add 1 tbsp butter to it.
• Heat them over moderate heat until the butter melts and throw in the chopped shallots.
• Saute it for a couple of minutes or until it slightly turns lucid.
• Stir in the rice so that it is well coated with the melted butter plus oil and continue to saute for 1 minute or until the mixture gives out a pleasant nutty aroma; take care to the prevent the rice from browning.
• Add a bout of wine to it and continue to cook while stirring frequently, until the liquid disappears and is absorbed by the rice.
• Ladle some warm chicken stock to the mixture and cook the mixture until the liquid is again absorbed completely.
• Pour another ladle of the stock and repeat the process over and over again for about half an hour until the rice softens yet remains firm. The mixture will attain a creamy consistency because of the starches oozing out of the rice.
• In case the chicken stock is not enough to attain such doneness of rice, continue the process with hot water. A perfect risotto is soft, creamy and must not be sticky, stiff or runny.
• Add the remaining 2 tbsp butter to the rice and stir it well until properly blended.
• While the risotto cooks, arrange the asparagus in a baking sheet and drizzle some olive oil over it, followed by a dash of salt.
• Put it into a preheated oven and grill for about 5-10 minute at high, until they char nicely and softens.
• Flip them over once between the cooking time to cook them evenly.
• Spoon the risotto into serving plates and top it up the grated parmesan cheese, followed by chopped parsley and sprinkle a dash of salt to it.
• Arrange the grilled asparagus by its side and serve right away or the risotto will turn glutinous if kept untouched for too long.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons