An Asparagus Risotto is a great way to enjoy this lovely vegetable. The lemon and mint give it a really fresh flavour that goes so well with the strong taste of the asparagus and it's ready in just 30 minutes.
Asparagus season is a special event. I know people who have it marked up on their calendars. Although it can be bought year round, nothing beats the flavour of locally grown asparagus. In the UK, the season is short lasting roughly just 6 weeks from late April until mid June. In the US, it runs from late February until June, depending on the State. Wherever you are in world, when asparagus come into season, get down to your local farmers market and buy some!
More Risotto Recipes
Recipe Tips and Variations
I love a creamy asparagus risotto so I like to make this on the hob or stove top, adding the stock a little at a time. Stirring risotto does give a slightly different texture than oven baked risotto. However, if you prefer to bake your risotto in the oven, just add all the stock at step 4 and bake in the oven at 200C /400F /gas mark 6 for 20 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients at step 6.
I've used fresh lemon juice in this recipe but if you don't have fresh lemons to hand, you can use bottled lemon juice instead.
If you want to make this risotto go further, you could also add peas. Asparagus and Pea Risotto is a lovely combination and the sweetness of peas goes very well with fresh mint.
The best rice to use for a risotto is Arborio rice or Carnaroli, which are both short grain starchy varieties with a slightly nutty flavour. The starchiness gives the risotto its creamy texture. If you don't have these, you could use other medium or short grain rice but avoid basmati or jasmine rice as it won't give the creaminess you need. Also, don't rinse the rice before cooking it as you will loose some of that starchiness.
How to make it Vegan
You can easily make Asparagus risotto vegan. Replace the butter with olive oil and use a vegan parmesan cheese.
How to prepare Asparagus
Asparagus has a flowered top and thick stem and you can eat both parts. As you get nearer to the bottom of the stem, you might find it gets a bit tough or 'woody'. To find out where the tougher woody bit of the stem starts, take your asparagus and gently bend the stem. It will naturally break near the bottom and the tougher woody part will snap off.
Asparagus doesn't need much cooking, just blanch it in boiling water for 3 minutes. In this recipe, I blanch it in the stock before adding to the risotto as that way we don't lose any of the asparagus flavour. Once cooked, dice the stems and leave the heads as in the image in step 5.
How to make it
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 
Step 5 Step 6
- Heat the butter or oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened.
- In a separate pan, bring the stock to a simmer and blanch the asparagus stems for about 3 minutes, then remove to a plate. This way, some of the asparagus flavour goes into the stock which just adds to the flavour of our risotto.
- Add the rice to the onions and coat in the butter / oil. Pour in the vermouth or white wine and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Almost all the alcohol will evaporate off at this point. I find this really adds to the flavour of a risotto, but you can skip the alcohol if you wish.
- Add a little of the stock to the rice and keep stirring until it is all absorbed. Continue to add the stock a little at a time, stirring until it is all absorbed before adding more. The rice should then be soft but still slightly crunchy in the middle and the overall texture should be slightly looser than you want it.
- Chop the asparagus stalks into small discs but keep the tips whole.
- Stir in the asparagus stalks, mint, lemon juice and most of the zest and parmesan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the risotto with a lid and leave to rest for 1 minute.
- Serve it with the asparagus tops laid over the top and sprinkle with the remaining zest and parmesan cheese.
Sustainability
Using asparagus in season from a local source is the most environmentally friendly as well as the best tasting way, to enjoy asparagus. Lemons as well as olive oil, white wine and black pepper can be bought as Fairtrade.
Storage
A risotto is always best eaten fresh, but you can store it in the fridge for 1 - 2 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. The problem comes when trying to reheat it. The rice will continue to absorb the liquid so when you come to reheat it, you will need to add some more stock to loosen it. I find the best way to do this is in a pan whilst stirring it. You won't get the same results as when it was freshly cooked, but it's obviously better than letting it go to waste.
Asparagus Risotto with Mint and Lemon
Ingredients
- 10 g butter organic, or 10ml olive oil
- 1 onions organic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1000 ml vegetable stock organic
- 300 g asparagus organic, woody ends removed
- 350 g arborio rice organic
- 150 ml vermouth or white wine organic, fairtrade (wine)
- 25 g Parmesan cheese organic, grated
- 4 tablespoon fresh mint organic, leaves only, finely chopped
- 1 lemons organic, fairtrade, juice and zest of
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash black pepper organic, fairtrade, freshly ground
Instructions
- Heat the butter or oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened.
- In a separate pan, bring the stock to a simmer and blanch the asparagus stems for about 3 minutes, then remove to a plate.
- Add the rice to the onions and coat in the butter or oil. Pour in the vermouth or white wine and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Almost all the alcohol will evaporate off at this point.
- Add a little of the stock to the rice and keep stirring until it is all absorbed. Continue to add the stock a little at a time, stirring until it is all absorbed before adding more. The rice should then be soft but still slightly crunchy in the middle and the overall texture should be slightly looser than you want it.
- Chop the asparagus stalks into small discs but keep the tips whole.
- Stir in the asparagus discs, mint, lemon juice and most of the zest and parmesan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the risotto with a lid and leave to rest for 1 minute.
- Serve with the asparagus tips over the top of the risotto and sprinkle with the remaining zest and parmesan cheese over the top.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- If you prefer to bake your risotto in the oven, just add all the stock at step 4 and bake in the oven at 200C /400F /gas mark 6 for 20 minutes.
- I've used fresh lemon juice in this recipe but if you don't have fresh lemons to hand, you can use bottled lemon juice instead.
- If you want to make this risotto go further, you could also add peas. Asparagus and Pea Risotto is a lovely combination and the sweetness of peas also goes very well with fresh mint.
- The best rice to use for a risotto is Arborio rice or Carnaroli, which are both short grain starchy rice with a slightly nutty flavour. The starchiness gives the risotto its creamy texture. If you don't have these, you could use other medium or short grain rice but avoid basmati or jasmine rice as it won't give the creaminess you need. Also, don't rinse the rice before cooking it as you will loose some of that starchiness.
To make a Vegan Asparagus Risotto
Substitute the butter for olive oil and use a vegan cheese instead of parmesan.Storage
A risotto is always best eaten fresh, but you can store it in the fridge for 1 - 2 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. The problem comes when trying to reheat it. The rice will continue to absorb the liquid so when you come to reheat it, you will need to add some more stock to loosen it. I find the best way to do this is in a pan whilst stirring it. You won't get the same results as when it was freshly cooked, but it's obviously better than letting it go to waste.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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