7 Tips for Making Asparagus Risotto: Asparagus Risotto Recipe

Asparagus risotto is a variation on risotto, a popular Italian rice dish consisting of Arborio rice cooked in broth. Arborio rice is high in amylopectin starch, which is what gives risotto its creamy texture. This dish is frequently made with rice, chicken broth or vegetable broth, onion, white wine, lemon juice or lemon zest, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Slowly cooking Arborio rice allows it to release its starches slowly, yielding a perfectly al dente rice and a creamy sauce when it is cooked properly. This creamy risotto recipe also calls for blanched asparagus, which lends some earthy, mildly bitter notes to this rich, creamy dish.

Risotto is made with simple ingredients, but it can be a difficult dish to get just right. You will need to keep a close eye on the risotto as it cooks to make sure that it doesn’t burn. Here are a few other tips to help you make creamy risotto cooked just to al dente.

1. 1. Watch your risotto as it cooks. Stirring your risotto too much can make it gummy and porridge-like. However, not stirring it enough may lead to it burning in the pan. A good rule of thumb is to watch your risotto as it cooks, stirring sparingly to aerate it and prevent the bottom from burning at the same time.
2. 2. Use a narrow pot. When cooking risotto, it’s important for the grains of rice to maintain near-constant contact with each other in order to release their creamy starches. Too wide or large of a pot can create uneven temperatures in the pot and lead your rice to cook unevenly.
3. 3. Cook your asparagus separately. Attempting to cook vegetables with the risotto rice can make your dish mushy. Instead, pre-cook your asparagus (blanching is a good technique) and add it when your risotto is almost done.
4. 4. Add the stock slowly. Adding your stock in small portions allows the rice to slowly absorb the liquid while emitting its starches to make the dish creamy. As a rule, wait until the rice has fully absorbed one portion of stock before adding more.
5. 5. Heat up your stock. Warm the stock in a small saucepan before adding it to the rice. Adding cold or room temperature stock to the hot pot of rice will cool the ingredients down and interrupt the cooking process.
6. 6. Cook the rice al dente. Overcooking the risotto will result in a porridge-like texture, rather than a creamy, chewy dish. Taste the rice periodically until it is al dente, then remove the pot from the heat. It will continue cooking in the residual heat.
7. 7. Use vegetable stock for a vegetarian option. You can make this dish vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock.