After last nights recipe flop, I was hesitant to try another recipe from this cookbook. But I thought, it's Risotto, there's one way to make it and all the ingredients sounded like they would meld lovely together. Plus, what better test of spring than bountiful asparagus in the market!!
It was probably one of the best risottos I've ever had - at home or at a restaurant. It wasn't too chewy (which can easily happen with risotto) or too mushy. It had great flavor but not too overwhelming that it stole the show from the headliner, asparagus. The addition of pistachios added the perfect amount of saltiness and crunch. I used freshly shaved parmesan cheese (my Mom and I both agree that it's soo much better this way!) and I think if you try it out yourself you'll think so too!
Now, with any risotto recipes, it's definitely a labor of love and definitely worth it! You have to stay at the stove for a good 20-30 minutes, slowly adding liquid a little bit at a time and waiting for it to absorb before adding more all the while constantly stirring. It seems tedious but I actually unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen while it was cooking (making sure to still keep a close eye on it) and it was done in no time. It was a simple recipe other than that!!
I also tried to jazz up my food photo shoot. My friend Sarah B. pointed out that she just saw an article in the NY Times about how to photograph food - what a coincidence, eh?! I didn't have a chance to follow the tips last night but will definitely give them a whirl today. There were some helpful ideas in that article! You can check it out here: How to Take Photos of Food Thanks Sarah!
Asparagus & Pistachio Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine (or 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 cup water)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1 Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.
2. In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp butter and olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.3 While the onions are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
4 Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
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Note the stock amount given is approximate. You may need a little more or less. If you end up needing more stock and you find yourself without, just use water or the cooking water from the asparagus.
5 Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, the asparagus and pistachios. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.
**To make this dish vegan, simply substitute olive oil for the butter and a vegan parmesan grated soy topping for the parm.
fancy pictures!
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