Asparagus Risotto with Gorgonzola
Recently I was the happy recipient of some beautiful bundles of thick and thin asparagus from my friends at Gourmet Trading Company. Elegant asparagus’ peak season is Springtime. If you are in the depths of a really cold winter, maybe this post can lift your spirits? Spring is (almost) around the corner. Gourmet Trading Company imports and distributes top-quality fresh asparagus from the areas where it grows naturally in the Americas. This month asparagus is flourishing on their farms in Peru.
Trim thin stalks of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces and steam in salted boiling water until tender. Shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking.
Risotto
Heat 1/2 c. olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add a finely chopped onion. Sauté until golden brown.
Add 1 1/2 c. arborio rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil. Add 1/2 c. dry white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add about 5 c. hot chicken stock gradually as absorbed, stirring continuously until the rice is al dente.
Gorgonzola, the Italian blue-veined cheese, buttery, somewhat salty and tangy pairs beautifully with risotto. Add crumbled gorgonzola cheese to the risotto, stir to melt cheese. Add salt (carefully as the cheese adds saltiness) and pepper to taste. Add asparagus. Stir gently to combine.
Finish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Marinated Asparagus Spears
Steamed thick asparagus in a spicy brown sugar balsamic marinade.
Marinade
- 1/3 c. brown sugar
- 1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- plenty of minced garlic
- red pepper flakes to your liking
Heat all ingredients together over medium-high heat bringing to a boil. Stir to combine and melt the sugar. Let cool then pour over asparagus. Serve at room temperature.
Asparagus Bloody Mary
We were having fun experimenting with all that delicious asparagus. We ran some fresh asparagus through a juicer. Asparagus juice has a very intriguing taste, it reminded me of sunflower seeds. We heard that the amino acids and minerals in asparagus may ease hangovers. So here we made our traditional Bloody Mary topped with asparagus juice. The asparagus juice floats on top the Bloody Mary mix making a pretty festive green and red drink. We salted the rim with a mixture of smoked paprika and celery salt (that rocked!). Cheers, to a mild winter!
Discover more from Taste With The Eyes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I am really tasting with the eyes here.
Lori Lynn,
you are absolutely right, it is the constant stirring that accounts for the creaminess of the finished risotto.
I find it not too hard to make risotto when I am well organized, having the other components of a meal almost ready to go when I start the risotto (one can saute the shallots beforehand, add the rice, stir and then let it sit). It adds a ceremonial touch, meditating while finishing the preparation of a good meal.
To many more good risotto recipes,
Merisi
Coming here and looking at asparagus makes me hopeful that spring is around the corner, but until then I'll have one of those Bloody Marys! Your photos are just beautiful!
Fresh nutmeg and gorgonzola with the asparagus risotto–mmm, mmm, mmm
Really nice photos with this post~like the stirring shot.
Happy new year!
I love risottos! I always order it in restaurants. It is kind of frustrating since my risotto is never perfect. It is always a disaster.