Risotto with asparagus

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch asparagus – about 500 g

100 ml vegetable stock

1/2 cup white dry martini

1 big leek cut in thin slices


1 onion finely chopped


1 cup arborio rice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablspoons virgin olive oil

small bunch of chopped tarragon


lemon zest

salt and pepper

Bring the stock to boil and keep it hot. Cut the asparagus in thin stripes, keeping the tips whole. Fry them over high heat in one table spoon of virgin olive oil for about one minute. Heat the rest of the virgin olive oil in a high pan and simmer gently chopped onion and leek without colouring. Add rice and mix thoroughly for a minute so that each rice grain is coated with the olive oil. Add martini and wait until the liquid is almost fully absorbed. Add half cup of the hot stock stirring constantly with wooden spoon. If we use a flat metal spoon or a thin spatula while mixing, we will make the rice grains break and fall apart. When the stock is almost absorbed, add another portion and repeat until the rice is almost cooked al-dente. Take off the heat and add one tablespoon of the stock, one tablespoon of virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and fried asparagus, leaving several asparagus tips aside for decoration. Leave covered for 3-5 minutes. Serve on plates, sprinkle with lemon zest and decorate with asparagus tips.

Recipe: Mickey Rotten, photos: USTA Magazine